So now I have this Royal Gremlin in my hands. What do I do?
I remember when I was three years old, my master decided to train me in martial arts to get rid of my excess energy.
A devilish grin spreads across my face.
I glance over my shoulder to see if anyone's watching.
The guards at the throne door are eyeing me suspiciously. I wonder what they would do if I just swam away with His Highness.
I'm casually whistling, carrying this Royal Gremlin who keeps biting me.
I take him to the archery field. The archers see me coming and, surprisingly, swim away. Seriously, I could kidnap this prince and no one would stop me, except for my master. I don't want to be in his maelstrom.
Unlike my master, I can't transform into a three-year-old. So I'll make do with what I have. Let's see... sharp arrows. Seems like a good idea.
There are no mini bows or arrows. I guess they weren't expecting His Highness to start training yet. Well, if you can swim, you can fight.
"Let's see how you swim."
I place the merprince on the sand.
He taps both hands on the sand, making mini handprints.
"That's pretty close. This is how you're supposed to warm up."
I show him the two-thumb push-up.
He watches me, claps, and giggles. Then he tries it himself, hurts himself, and cries, making the water ripple around him.
"Eh, just some water ripples. Harmless."
Then his crying grows louder, becoming full-on wailing.
The water currents surge with his mood, whipping back my hair. This Royal Gremlin's tantrum is a force to be reckoned with.
No wonder everyone ignored me when I threw mine. Even I want to ignore this kid. If this weren't a quest, I'd have left him ages ago.
"Your Highness, those crocodile tears won't work on me."
He looks up, sniffles, and a bubble pops from his nose.
I glance over my shoulder to see if anyone's around. Everyone is staying away from us for some strange reason.
I toss the merprince high into the sea. He giggles, arms flailing with joy.
As he's suspended in mid-water, I shift. Bones crack, arms stretch into fins, legs fuse into a tail — my form expanding into my whale shape.
Opening my jaw, he drops right into my mouth. I can feel him clutching my tongue like it's a toy.
We pass colored corals, schools of fish, pods of dolphins, and sea turtles. Then it gets deadly silent. The corals turn dark. At the edge of the cliff, massive bubbles rise from the deep.
I spit the merprince out, he sails up, and I shift back to my human guise to catch him mid-spin.
I'm getting pretty good at shape-shifting now. I like this. It's good training for me.
The blonde-haired gremlin seems to appreciate that move. He's clapping now.
As if on cue, gigantic orange-red tentacles unfurl over the cliff. Then the Kraken's head emerges.
The royal toddler's eyes widen as he sees the enormous sea giant.
"Greetings Mr. Kraken. Good to see you. I brought you a guest."
The enormous, legendary beast smiles, which sends a chill down my spine.
Another colossal tentacle unfurls. This one holding a golden rattle.
The merprince instantly reaches for it and starts playing, delighted.
"Wait a minute... you've been babysitting him while I was away in the Celestial Realm?"
The legendary sea beast nods.
I scratch my chin. I don't know what to think about this.
"How about I strike you a deal? You babysit the Royal Gremlin and I'll catch you some food. How would you like your bandits? Alive or dead?"
With a puff, he gently lifts the toddler gnawing at his tentacles.
"I'll take that as a yes. And assume that you don't care what state the bandits are in, as long as you're fed."
I dust off my hands. Royal sitting duty has been delegated.
I dash off to find some bandits, sniffing the air. Where are the weird-smelling mer-sharks? I fed a handful to my friend when I was a tiny runt. I wonder if their kind learned the lesson.
I swim to the bandits' den.
Cackles echo through the sea. Nope, they haven't learned their lesson. Great, less work for me, no need to go hunting for them.
I sneak between the crags, hiding in the shadows. Stealth mode is on.
I want to see how many I'm up against. Five hideous mer-sharks, each with a sword for a nose, holding crude spears.
They've tied up and gagged a few mermaids. At least they're in better shape than when I found the Royal Envoy held hostage here. They're not bruised nor battered. Tears stream down their faces as they tremble under the bandits' crude taunts.
The sight of that made my blood boil. I start to growl, it echoes, and the bandits notice. They look around to search for the source.
I crack my knuckles, roll my shoulders, and crack my neck. Time to use my "law" and "order" — my biceps.
"There's something here, boss." One of the bandits murmurs.
"I can feel someone watching us."
"Go check it out," grunts the burliest of them, with tattoos on his arms, presumably the boss.
One bravely stupid bandit edges towards me. As he swims into the shadow, I crack his neck and throw him to the side.
"What was that? Boss, do you think it's the whale? The one that caught the last crew?"
"No, it can't be. I heard she's no longer in this realm."
Well, that's my cue. Time for me to make an appearance.
I take a deep breath and project a loud cackle.
They stiffen, then turn their heads towards me. The boss' eyes harden.
"Beat it, blue demon. Unless you want to end up like them."
He jabs a finger toward the mermaids.
Come to think of it, everyone calls me 'Demon'. I should really ask them why.
I flick my silver-blue hair back and point to them, chin tilted high.
"Demon? It's time I brought justice. Your crime is not being able to appreciate my beauty."
They roll over laughing. I don't get what's funny. I've changed my mind; I'll use them for training instead of giving them a swift death.
Not wanting to hurt the mermaids, I gesture toward the bandits with a challenge, curling my finger back. Bring it on.
They snarl and torpedo towards me.
I kick one in the face. He flies to the right.
Punch the other one in the neck. He flies back.
Elbow, the third. He clutches his broken nose.
And knee, the fourth. He falls on the floor like a sack of rice.
Perhaps, I should have warmed up a bit more.
I summon water tendrils to bind them, including the one knocked out earlier, and cinch them all up together in a neat bundle.
The mermaids' eyes widen, they seem to be afraid of me. I slowly approach them, undo their gags, and untie them.
"Next time, try not to get caught. Tell your friends not to go around this area. This is where the bandits hang out."
They nod compliantly, trembling. One tries to speak, but no words come out. I shoo them away.
"Seriously, I don't have time for this. You should be able to manage to go home on your own. You don't look like you're injured."
They give an appreciative nod and dart away.
I snap my head back at the bandits, giving them the look that my master always gives me. Their eyes widen, and they shake their heads, quivering in fear.
Oh, right. The Merprince. I better get these bandits back to the Kraken, just in case he decides to eat the prince. I'll be in hot water if that happens.
I drag the bandits wrapped in my water tendril back to the Kraken. They whimper as their skin scrapes against jagged rocks.
"Open wide."
The giant sea beast opens his mouth. I throw the screaming bandits into his mouth. He gobbles them up happily and hands me back the prince.
Green fumes are wafting off the prince. Okay, you're not going into my mouth.
I wrap a water tendril around the prince, keeping a safe distance.
I wave to my friend. One massive tentacle waves back before the legendary beast sinks into the abyss.
I haul the Merprince back to the palace as he wails, sending ripples everywhere. All sea creatures avoid us.
The King and Queen better be ready for him; I've had enough of this Royal Gremlin.