Catch Of The Day

Master Trader Nakona was easy to pick out of the crowd. Mainly because he wasn't running back and forth hauling cargo, but just standing to the side watching the men work. He was also taller, decked out in a fancy coat and hat, and seemed to exude an almost unnatural aura of vitality. Like there was just too much life to be crammed into one man. The reason for this, and the last thing that made him stand out, was the monster girl 'standing' next to him on the dock.

The Unagi Joro was an interesting mermaid variant native to Zipangu. Her lower body was that of a huge eel rather than a fish, and easily more than four times the length of her more human upper body. I knew about them from past studies, but seeing her, I got a whole lot more information than I knew before. Information I had to be getting from my Persona as a Prince of Zipangu, which I wasn't aware it could do. Apparently being a Prince meant knowing about local monster girl varieties, handy that.

She had pale skin that matched the color of her eel parts' underbelly, and black hair worn up in a bun that matched the rest of her inky eel skin. Her pale lavender coat even matched the color of the dorsal fin that ran the length of her body. The pale olive colored shirt she wore under it did nothing to cover her belly, and seemed to barely be containing her large breasts. Almost more strange than her eel-like body was her ears. From the waist up, she looked almost completely human, save for her large, dangling, cup-shaped ears. She was also, I knew thanks to my Persona, covered in a slime that was an extremely potent aphrodisiac. Consuming it caused a person to gain incredible stamina. The fact that he could stand that close to her without touching her showed some really quite impressive self-control. The way she had eyes only for him was proof enough they were mated. I had to wonder if she was how he was finding his way through the mists. A mermaid would be invaluable to a sea captain, the only problem was that my memories were telling me Unagi Joros were strictly freshwater.

The captain himself was a tall, broad man with long black hair and an impressive, if neatly trimmed, beard. He turned from Mindy at my approach and gave a deep bow that his monster girl copied. Her blouse was plastered to her large chest, and her movements made it very clear she wasn't wearing anything under it. He didn't seem at all perturbed at catching me looking either. "Greetings, my Prince! I must admit I was most annoyed to find that the warehouse I have been using here was occupied upon my arrival, but hearing that a member of the royal family was here in this backwater filled my heart with joy instead. To be fair, they have done wonders with the place since my first arrival." He pointed to the new building beside us. "This very fine building wasn't even here last time I was, though I have a suspicion they built it just to be near the customs office, which wasn't here last time either!" He roared with laughter at his own joke, and I smiled along. He seemed to be going along with my being a Prince of his kingdom so far, which was good.

"My girls were just instructed to find something not in use. I had no idea you were being put out."

He waved away my statement, as if it were no matter. "Think nothing of it, my Prince. I should be the one begging your pardon for getting the newer building. Though I would not be shocked if they put up something truly grand for a official envoy now that you're here. I must ask though, if you will forgive the impertinence. How did your party come to this shore? I only ask in hope that another scoundrel hasn't breached my monopoly here." He eyed Mal's wings, looking hopeful. "A powerful flyer, perhaps? To guide your ship through the mists?" So he was worried about his trade, I supposed another trader would seriously cut into his profits, more than the new customs house even.

Easy enough to set his concerns to rest, and hopefully get his help. "No merchant vessel, just me and my minions, with divine providence to guide us. And no official embassy either, that is not the authority given to me here. I am instead on a mission. An oracle bespoke of an ill fate for the expedition that I believe took your ship here. I am charged with finding them and to prevent this. I have already heard that Captain Dascaros is here in town, but I hoped you might have heard where the others were planning to go. As an aside, if you will, I am curious just how it is you have been making it through the mists so easily. Not using your charming Unagi Joro, I would think?"

He did look most assured at my words, and at the end slapped his forehead. "Forgive me, my Prince! In my excitement, I completely forgot to introduce my partner." He gestured at the red-eyed woman beside him, who gave another undulating bow, causing her breasts to do interesting things under her blouse. Not that I had any intentions of getting close to her mucus-covered body. "This is Mai, and she has been with me for longer than I can say. As for getting through the mists, not directly, but it would never have been possible without the aid she has given me." He smiled back at her, and she fluttered her lashes at him. Another reason to have no interest in her, she seemed utterly besotted with him. And my Persona informed me that her kind established deep ties with their mates. Captain Nakona startled me out of my musing with a piercing whistle. "More directly, and no secret here, was her."

From the water rose an impressively huge woman, her upper body at least. If she had had legs, I figured she would be close to twelve feet tall, as it was, her white and black shark-like body extended further under the water than I could make out. A Mershark! And one far larger than usually seen. She must be ancient! Taking in more details, she wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, but her long, dark blue hair was tied back in a ponytail that left two long wings of hair free in front. Her breasts were large, high, and firm. At first glance, Mai had larger, but when you took the size of the newcomer's body into account, they were probably larger than they seemed. Her arms had odd fin-like flaps that bent back from her wrists. Long pointed ears jutted out from her hair. Red eyes and a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth completed the picture. This was an opportunity I couldn't miss out on. While the merchant and I were watching her emerge from the water, I slipped a ring out of my pouch and triggered Jewels of Discord as I ran my thumb over its surface. Just give me a name. "Very impressive, you have a Mershark to lead you through the mists."

He was grinning ear to ear as he looked up at the monster girl that towered over us, smiling down at him. "As I said, I really owe it all to Mai. When I got blown overboard in a storm, and this little lady found me, my goose should have been truly cooked, but thanks to the enhanced stamina from being with Mai, I wasn't the one who was overwhelmed. Quistus here has been following me around ever since, comes when I call her too, and of course, as you guessed, leads my ship at sea."

Quistus eh? That was enough for me to make the ring irresistible to her, while everyone else ignored it. "And highly unlikely any other trader is going to find a similar solution." I moved the ring about, so the sunlight glinted off the bright silver. That quickly got her attention.

The big man laughed. "I didn't think so, until I heard about your group. I shouldn't be surprised by the resources royals like yourself can bring to bear though." I flicked the ring out into the water, and the Mershark dove after it. He turned back to me, still chuckling. "Those women weren't much company on the way here, but I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them, and of course, am willing to help in any way with a crown mission. Unfortunately, I don't have much to tell. The Amaltia girl and her two companions did a lot of talking about unicorns, asked me all I knew about them as well. Not that I knew anything to tell them. Oh, and the half-elf, Primera. She spent most of the time alone, but I did overhear her talking to herself about vengeance. Hope that helps, my Prince."

Did it help? Possibly. I bade him a good day and gave him a small pile of gems for his help. He gave me another deep bow, along with his wife, as I turned to leave. Primera might be looking for a dark elf camp, and being half monster already would probably be the first to fall. I supposed I could write her off. The two groups of three were the important targets, as six more than gave me my target number. Plus, the one still in town, of course, no way I wasn't starting with her. At the very least, he had clearly taken me for nobility and a fellow countryman, so only made my cover stronger.

Good, I really hated to kill people unless I had to.

"Mindy, go see if any of the girls have turned something up yet. We're going to go check out the military compound and have a chat with Captain Dascaros." As the ravenette ran off towards my lair, I watched her ass dance in her skimpy short maid skirt. She really was amazingly coordinated with those heels. Enjoying the view, I ran a hand over my bracelet. Quistus, seventy-four hours to capture. Three days and I'd have a giant, not that I could afford to wait here for three days. But thanks to Apportation, I could call her to me after her capture, and with Body Runes, she could have legs instead of that monstrous shark body to get around on land. Heh, land shark.

Shame about Captain Nakona's trade, but he'd still have his eel-wife. He could find another Mershark.

I had a silver-haired guard captain to win over.