Growing up mermaid

Ys, City of the Dead

Mermaid histories recorded that humans once lived in Ys. The city’s inhabitants were said to have been obsessed with dark magic and constantly delighted themselves in its immoral use. Angered by their wicked ways, the Goddess sent the waters of the sea to swallow them whole. In one fell swoop every man, woman, and child in the city was drowned under the torrent of the ocean.  But an evil had survived the deluge and still haunted the city at the bottom of the sea till this day.

Entering the remnants of the city, Nymia saw the place was an underwater graveyard. Corpses covered every corner.  Their skeletons were strewn along every broken seaweed covered road, piled atop and before the snarling faced giant human heads carved of stone, squished under massive granite blocks, and on each level of the naked structures that bore their architectural innards. Swimming through the ruins Nymia felt as if every grinning skull there was staring at her.

The Lady had given her weapons and armor to protect her from the dangers of Ys. Her breastplate and horned helmet were made of Orick, a metal sturdy and light, giving off a light brighter than her radiant rainbow scaled tail. The bow slung around her back next to the quiver full of arrows, was made of Dragon bone. Around her waist was a golden chained belt, from which a long sword in a scabbard hung. Etched into the swords cross guard above its rounded pommel was the word, EXCALIBUR.

As Nymia scoured through the desolation in search of the Zephyr shell, a presence harassed her at every kick of her tail. It breathed down her neck, whispered tongues in her ear, and frequently appeared in the corner of her eye. Every time she turned to discover her stalker, Nymia saw nothing but dead eyed skeletons smiling at her. Fear’s fingers crept over her spine, as the unseen stalker followed. The only thing that kept her sane was her confidence in the fact that she was a mermaid princess, trained by the best warriors under the sea. Taking a deep breath, she told herself she could handle whatever enemies lay waiting.

A light emanating through the cracks of a pile of rubble caught her attention. The Lady had told her she would know the zephyr shell by its light. Nymia darted to the rocks, and began dislodging the large stones as if they were pebbles. Soon her digging was rewarded with the sight of her objective.

Dangling just beneath the chin of a skeleton, still partially buried beneath boulders, the zephyr shell hung from a corded necklace. Nymia reached down for it, but then it moved. She froze as the necklace untied itself and slowly lifted into the water, floating before her eyes. Gathering her courage, she grabbed once more for the zephyr shell. Before she could clasp it, it sped away. Nymia’s eyes followed the racing shell until it came to a stop inside a grasp of a red finger nailed hand.

The hand belonged to a tall curly haired brunette standing on a broken pillar. She was nude except for the large black crown on her head and the red cape that streamed endlessly behind her. Portions of her face were rotted away, with the deep tissue and bone showing. It was the same for her left side. The flesh there was decayed as well, and her beating heart could be seen thumping inside her rib cage.   The woman narrowed her all black eyes on Nymia.

“Thief,” she hissed.

“Spirit,” Nymia boomed in a voice that belied more courage than she was feeling, “I’ve come in peace, and wish to leave that way.”

“Peace?” she spat spitefully. “And what of the peace of the dead? Are they not deserving of it?”

“Daughters of the sea do not bargain,” she repeated the mermaid axiom, “so either give me what I came for, or I will be forced to take it from you.”

“When I the Red Queen ruled this world, mermaids did not bargain either,” she pointed a long finger at her, “they bowed!”

The skeleton next to Nymia sprung to life. With its legs still pinned beneath the rocks, his arms shot up, grabbing her tail. Instantly Nymia’s face transformed into a deadly visage of fangs and black pupils set into red irises. Her golden locks turned into biting and snapping snakes, writhing wildly under her horned helmet. Grabbing a large rock in one hand, she spun towards the skeleton and smashed its skull into tiny bits in one quick motion.

The skeletons arms went limp and it fell back to being an inanimate pile of bones. Nymia turned back to the Red Queen, but she was no longer atop of the pillar. A mixture of fear, adrenaline, and anger raced through Nymia’s heart. Then she heard groans and moans echoing throughout the city. It was the sound of every skeleton in Ys stirring to life.

Pouring forth from every crevice and square inch of the ruins, the dead went swimming, running, and jumping in a mad sprint towards Nymia. She quickly flipped her bow over her shoulder and into her hands. In the next instant, she was spinning in a circle, rapid firing diamond tipped arrows into the center of foreheads. Every skull struck, exploding into fragments. Even though she was eliminating a good amount of her enemies, there were still many more getting closer by the second.

The fringes of the horde were now close enough to reach her. With her bow’s use played out, she swung it back over her shoulder. Freeing the glimmering blade of Excalibur from its sheath, she decapitated the nearest attacker. From there the blade did not stop as it cut, arced, and sliced its way through the water into foe after foe. Nymia worked the sword around her person like a whirlwind of death. Like most mermaids she preferred tridents to swords, but she could not help but be delighted when she saw her enemies bones burst into powder after connecting with the powerful strikes of the magnificent Excalibur.

As much damage as the mermaid dealt, she was receiving a good portion as well. The hordes of skeletons surrounding her grabbled, pulled, clawed, and bit at her. Her helmet and breastplate held up well against the attacks, but her uncovered arms and tail were covered in injury. She was losing blood and energy, and the skeletons numbers were only swelling. Between slashes and cleaves she searched for an escape.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a large pyramid, with a rectangular entrance cut into its bottom. Nymia spun, pushed, and stabbed amongst the frenzy of enemies in a frantic fight for the entrance. All the way to the doorway the skeletons scratched and tore at her. Finally reaching the opening, she stopped in its archway, and turned to face her pursuers.

Opening her mouth with, she let loose a sound shattering siren shriek. Skeletons were flung back by its force and the foundations of the pyramid’s doorway shook. Nymia added to its stress by hacking away at it with Excalibur.  The stone frame gave, the stones above tumbling down. Nymia escaped the avalanche by swimming into the pyramids interior.

 The majority of skeletons that followed behind were crushed by the falling debris. The dozen that made it through unscathed inside the pyramid with Nymia, were quickly dispatched by Excalibur. On the other side of the rubble she could hear the dead working their bony hands at removing the fallen stones.  She knew her makeshift barrier wouldn’t hold forever. Eventually they would get through.

Nymia’s features returned to normal as she turned back to see what options the pyramid had to offer her. She saw she was in a large square room, with strange hieroglyphics written up and down the walls. There were three different exits from the room. Nymia tried to settle on a choice, but then she heard the voice of the Red Queen.

“You’re mine now!” it cackled in a voice that reverberated throughout the room. Nymia spun around in search of her, but she saw nothing. She only heard the twisted sounds of echoing dark laughter.