34 THE ISLAND CREATURES

He saw a creature even less human than Charikleia, slowly approaching where it had been before.

The greenish light might have made it even more frightening, but Glax would not be prepared to see a half-man-half-eel figure about two meters tall preventing the passage. There was no better way to describe the creature.

From the waist up he had a man's torso. The lower part was long and black, with iridescent, bluish, and greenish reflections. Fins made a line that ran from the end of the spine to the tip of the tail, which had huge spurs. It was very shocking because it didn't look like a fantasy, CG, or anything. It was very real. His movements revealed the muscles under those slimy scales.

The hair was dark and was braided. The torso looked strong and also glowed slightly with bluish tones. Glax could not see his face well, but everything hinted that, above the waist, he had a very human appearance. However, the bottom part was impossible to hide. He wore a leather belt across his chest like most men, and also a kind of fabric that covered where his pelvis would be, which hinted that... Well, Glax didn't want to focus on his private parts now.

He was holding a bucket. But when he stopped next to where Glax was supposed to be, he dropped the bucket and quickly pulled a dagger from the bandolier. Now alert, he tried to see where Glax had been hiding. He knew his prisoner had not left the cave.

'Damn, this is not a good thing ...' Glax thought. Did he really hope that the ... the ... what to call that? Triton? It was only from the triton's reaction that Glax learned the cave had only one accessible exit.

The being took the lantern rod and stood up, better illuminating the place. Glax could see it was the highest part of the cave's interior. He also noticed the reflection of something metallic coming from the ceiling. Looking up, he caught the light of the flashlight revealing what was above.

He narrowed his eyes in wonder. He saw two golden dolphins, and guessed that the rest of what he saw was that magical vessel, or what was left of it. The vessel had been made with the same technology as the crab he found in Armorion, he had no doubt. It was just badly damaged, although the dolphins were practically intact, due to their completely closed shell.

"Okay," he stood up, revealing himself. "I am here. Who are you and why did you bring me here?" He spoke with more firmness and self-confidence than he really felt at the time. If that huge creature attacked him, he already imagined himself becoming puree.

The creature took a while to respond.

"Simple. You fell close to me."

"Why did you tie me up?" he already had a theory, but he could learn more about the creature with his answer.

"Men always get angry when they see me." It was his response.

Glax realized he was young, perhaps the same age as Glax or less. The Valosian decided to come closer.

"You helped me. But humans don't like you. Is that it?"

The merman snorted. Now that Glax was cautiously getting closer, he thought the merman looked like the young Damastios girl. An epiphany formed in his mind. Was he the son of Charikleia? Unlike his sisters, he was not fortunate enough to look human.

"I am Glax from Valosia. Thank you for helping me."

The merman was embarrassed, judging how his shoulders fell. He also looked embarrassed by the way Glax didn't take his eyes off. The illustrator in Glax was trying to record all the details of that fantastic being.

"I just thought that if you died here in the village I was going to have problems. I was going to put you on the beach now."

"It makes sense. Your existence is a secret, isn't it?"

"Hm. You can call me Anteu. That's my name."

"Okay, Anteu. You are the first of your kind that I know. Sorry if I look like a goofball looking at you."

"You don't look like a goofball, in fact, you look pretty smart. What is written on your face?"

It embarrassed Glax this time. The merman couldn't read.

"Ah, long story. But it's something that puts me in a situation similar to yours, I think. Do you have fresh water?" To think about it, many questions invaded his mind. As a true nerd, he was curious about the creature before him.

The merman gave the bucket to him, and Glax drank water greedily, even with their hands tied.

"You came in a strange ship. Very fast."

"Yes, it is a fast ship. Imperial. I was lodged in the Damastians' house," Glax glanced sideways to catch some reaction, and found him quite curious. "Is this old Persos' ship? I heard the story that he was sailing around here. What happened?"

"I'm confused. You treat me differently." The merman did not answer his question, since he was interested in his own.

"Hey, you show me kindness. Now, why don't you untie me, too?"

Anteu looked indecisive and finally used the dagger to cut the rope. He also returned Glax's mask, which he put on immediately.

"I think I understand you don't want me to be talking about you around. Apart from the story I heard of my hostess Charikleia, it's better not to be too different around here..." Glax had already realized the merman had little experience in dealing with strangers and his distrust was justified." We have a simple deal. When I leave here, I won't start saying where he was, or with whom... And your peace won't be disturbed."

"Hm, good."

"I used to live in the mountains…"

To be honest, Glax was finding it funny and also very useful to bring into the conversation that he was from the mountains to sound like an ignorant hick. Apparently, he was the third thing to leave Valosia, preceded by lumber and his own mother. "And since I lived in the countryside, I don't understand what happened. Can't you just live with people like you? Isn't there anyone else like you around here?"

Anteu's tail moved, and he said,

"I wasn't always like that. It just happened when I grew up. As boys become men, that's what I became. I can't have any regrets, because I didn't choose my birth. Athios it's my home."

"What the fuck, man. Do you even have friends around here?"

"Ah, some people, yes. I heard there is a place in the north where all non-humans have gone."

"Like an… exodus?"

"I don't know what an exodus is. They were tired of being chased by humans, I was told. Few were left behind. The gods that protected them died. The Ascended gods protect their own children now."

"I think I understand, man. When it comes to beautiful stories, men like different beings and mixed races, but in real life, it's not quite like that."

"Hm. What did you come here to do? With a boat-eating monster nearby?"

"I came to help kill him," Glax smiled.

"There was something wrong. There was something bad coming down the river, coming from the mainland ... The sea creatures were scared. Sillabot came after the great ship Thetis..." He sighed, chafed, as he remembered. "The ship the Steam conquerors stranded on the rocks during the war. A mountain of grimy scrap that became a feast for that thing."

Naturally, there was bitterness in his voice.

"Did you know Persos?" Glax asked cautiously. "You kept his things."

"Yes. I took it out of the sea before Sillabot found it. I don't know what would happen."

Glax didn't know either.

"Do you have any idea what Sillabot is?"

Anteu shook his head. "No. But Persos once said that a powerful sorcerer was traveling through Stygia looking for trouble ... And that no one was paying due attention to that."

"And how could he know Sillabot has to do with this sorcerer?"

"He didn't know. He just seemed to know something about the sorcerer that made him think he was going to cause a big problem." the merman replied dismissively. "But they killed Persos."

"I thought he had become immortal. How could they have killed him?" Glax asked point-blank, curious about the answer. Anteu frowned.

"I wonder that too. I saw it when they tore him in parts. I was a coward, and I didn't move from where I was to help him. Just because I thought that was what he wanted. But ... Is it possible that despite that, he can come back?"

Glax felt a shiver down his spine when he heard the brief report, and commented darkly, "For all, I have heard about it, he wouldn't be the first."

They noticed the change in the light coming from the mouth of the cave, and put themselves on alert.