I was laying down on the beach in the cove while the tide was in. I had been sitting out here for a few days with my traveling bag and The Tidecallers Staff. The sun was starting to set on my fourth day. I had been waiting for The Bearer of the Moonstone for too long he should've came by now and it worried me that he wasn't here. Impatiently, I called to the power of the sea and the water blessed me with levitation so I could float. I brought myself up and exited the cove to see the beach itself. It was very small with small ground cliffs that led up into the land of the buildings. My people warned me about the surface world and I was not eager to go see it. I looked back at the ocean and then at my satchel containing the pearl. I couldn't return without the moonstone or else my people would die this year.

I had no choice, I turned around and approached the banks. I reached one arm to the top of the small cliff, then the other arm, and then I pulled myself up with The Tidecallers Staff strapped to my back. I took a look around and it honestly took my breath away. Not the sight, but the smell.

The surface world had many humans walking around inside buildings and there were many loud noises coming from the inside. Males walked, or should I say stumbled, around while holding some bottles. I wasn't sure what to do. I didn't have a destination or even a clear idea of what to do. Eventually someone noticed me, It was one of those males stumbling around, he took a puzzling look at me and declared out loud:

"I've been drinking too much already? That lass looks like a bloody mermaid! Aha!"

The human then walked into a building where I could hear people singing and dancing. Clearly I was going to have to find a coherent human around somewhere before…

I stopped in mid thought because as I looked down the street I saw something strange. A small creature with some kind of aquatic body. The creature looked like it was enjoying itself with the other humans and adapted to life on the land. Surely they would be able to help me. I glided my way towards him pushing past people giving me puzzled looks. At one point I heard a small child yell:

"Mommy look!" she said "A mermaid!"

I wasn't sure what a mermaid was, but apparently I looked like them. When she said that the humans from everywhere started pointing at me until I reached the fellow underwater friend.

"Excuse me" I said politely "I need some assistance."

The men he was around were all looking at me with wide eyes and half open mouths. Then the aquatic being turned around and stood up and I almost dropped The Tidecallers Staff.

"You- you're- but" I stumbled arounded absolutely flabbergasted by what I was seeing.

"A Maria?" He said with an interested smile on his face.

"What happened to you?" was all I could muster. I recognized his race we used to trade with them some hundred years ago. One day however, they just suddenly cut off all communication. They disappeared. Out of worry we sent an ambassador and a few bodyguards, but they came back and said that the city was empty. No signs of a struggle or of their packing. Their homes were full of their things. It was like they all just decided to swim away and they were never heard from again.

Before the young sea dweller could respond we heard some yelling from a group of humans passing by.

"Well well well," One bigger male said in a taunting way "Looks like Miss Fortunes crew really is just full of freaks."

"Oh look what came out of the chum bucket and learned how to walk" One of the males with the sea dweller said "What brings you up and around this side of the deck."

"We was just layin around at the bar when we thought it was time to deliver you guys a beating again" The male pounded his hand into his other hand and squished until it made cracking sounds. I felt like they were trying to establish dominance which as much fun as that would be, I was not here for. As I was swimming out of the way I heard a soft click behind me. When I turned I saw one of them was holding a gun at me.

"Hey," The sea dweller said "You leave her alone, she has nothing to do with this,"

"Well maybe its time she learns how we do it in Bilgewater" he said.

The man put his gun down and I immediately lashed out power from my staff for an aqua prison. A huge water bubble came out of the staff and engulfed the sailor. Everyone else took this as the first shot and just started hitting each other. I swam away and blasted the people who tried to chase me. People in the bars were even fighting. I wasn't sure what kind of riot ensued but I was able to steer clear until I was tackled by a much bigger male. Luckily, I was able to squirm out of the way, but as I tried to imprison him he knocked the staff out of my hand and pulled out a sword. I scooted away as much as I could, but the big brute raised his sword.

Out from behind him the sea dweller landed on him and whacked him with his staff. Dazed the brute tried to swing at him, but he was too fast. The sea dweller elegantly jumped around him leaving cuts everywhere until he finally just stuffed some odd looking fish in the brutes mouth. I was very confused and the sea dweller dropped in front of me and dragged me along as he yelled:

"Shark!"

In about a second a huge shark somehow appeared out of the ground and swallowed the brute whole. I was so confused, but all I could do was watch the shark sink down into the ground without leaving a trace besides the brutes sword on the ground. A lot of people saw the shark eat the giant brute and began backing off. Until it finally seemed like everyone got away. The sea dweller got up and approached me.

"Hi im Fizz" he said

He sounded like a raspy voiced child, but watching him fight made me think that he had years of experience. They were rumored to be fierce fighters and immortal. Well the fact that he was alive was huge.

A more slim human ran up to us and turned to Fizz.

"Fizz!" He said "She is here and she wants to see you" Then he turned to look at me and said "and she wants to see you too."

"I have no time to deal with the fights of humans," I said.

he pulled out his gun "Unfortunately," he said "This isn't optional."