The Ruby Empire

The Underwater Gargoyle

Female Reader x Male Monster

Off the coast of your hometown there once stood a beautiful castle, or at least that is what people told you. The small island it stood on sank, bringing it down into the sea. Your father would tell stories to you about the castle when you went fishing. He said the castle was guarded by many strong gargoyles that hated the creatures in the sea, so those creatures waited till the gargoyles were vulnerable and sunk the castle in retaliation.

Sometimes people who vacationed on their beach took boats out and dove down to search the remains, but they usually came back up rather quick and made a fast retreat out of town. Your father would just laugh and say that the gargoyles were still doing their job.

Diving to the castle wasn't something the locals ever seemed to do. Sure, dumb kids trying to impress or taking dares would do it, but it usually never resulted in anything. During your fishing trips with your father, he would point out where the castle was, and sometimes when the tides were low you could make out the spires and towers that had yet to crumble.

It wasn't unusual for you dad to fall asleep during his fishing trips. He would cast his nets and lean back, falling asleep in the painfully early morning hours and you'd stay awake. You enjoyed being on the inky blackness of the water, pretending you were cast into a never ending void.

One such morning as your father snored away you saw something slicing through the water. You cast your light upon it, seeing something swimming towards your boat. It looked large and long and as it came closer you found you couldn't even move to wake your father.

It disappeared for a moment, and you wonder if it dove back to the depths it came from. As you begin to lower your light something pops up from the waters. You gasp and drop your light. All you can see in the water is two glowing eyes. You scramble to reach for your light and fumble to turn it back on.

"Don't shine it on me," a voice said and you look to your father, but he is still asleep. "It hurts my eyes."

You look back out into the water towards the glowing eyes. They swim closer, coming into the glow of the light and lifting itself up to lean its arms against the boat. All you can do is stare, the creature is like nothing you've seen before. The arms that rest on the boat are long and powerful looking, ending in sharp taloned fingers.

Its head was large and muzzled, its features pointed like that of a bat. Horns smoothed back from its forehead. His large, pointed ears wiggled as if listening to the movement of your eyes as you looked over it.

"Do I scare you?" He asked.

"What?" You gasp.

"I'm supposed to scare people, that's what I was made for," he replies quietly as if wanting your father to remain asleep.

"Are you a gargoyle?" You asked him excitedly, wondering if your father's stories are all true.

He laughs, "you're smart." He glances towards your father and then lowers back into the water, only his eyes showing again.

"Are you going?" He leans over the boat and looks down at him.

"It's better this way kid," he whispers and disappears under the water as your father coughs and stretches behind you, waking from his nap.

After that, you visit the beach more. The castle is too far out for you to swim but if you had your own boat it wouldn't take long. You work hard that fall, earning money to buy your own boat come summer. During the winter you visit the beach often, going at dusk when the sun is setting and wonder about the gargoyle under the waves.

Finally, when summer comes you take out onto the water, going out before the sunset and making your way towards the castle. You're trembling with nerves and excitement. Fear makes you think that you had been asleep that night on your father's fishing boat and dreamed about the gargoyle. Excitement had you peering over the edge of your boat at every ripple and splash.