I stared down at the water, waiting for something bad to happen. My whole body tensed as if energy piled into my muscles, ready to release in an instant. My fingers tightened on the handle of my kindjal, its weight soothing my nerves.

But nothing happened.

“Hmm…” I leaned down, peering into the teal liquid.

Slowly, a face appeared beneath the surface. A human face — an extremely gorgeous human face. Was it male or female? its large, calm eyes captivated me, numbing my curiosity and drawing me in. The longer I looked into them, the prettier they became. A yard of thick blue hair danced in the current around the face, a flawless ebb and flow that revealed flashes of fin-like ears.

My eyes widened.

It moved closer to me until mere surface water seperated us.

I couldn’t take my eyes from its enigmatic gaze. They were so beautiful. How the navy blue lashes contrasted against the creamy, flawless skin. The deep blue irises were flecked with bright green that seemed to shift and move like a peaceful stream. No, it wasn't just green in those soothing depths. There were purples, teals, and violets, swirling together in a fascinating splash of color.

A slow hum whispered in my mind, the words indiscernible and yet I loved the sound. It soothed my once-racing pulse like I’d found a haven in the middle of a storm. Slowly, the remaining pent-up energy in my body drained away.

The face smiled at me, focused only on me as if I were the most important person in the world. A slender, pale hand appeared and reached from the water to me. Delicate white nails tipped the fingers between which a fine webbing stretched up almost up to the first knuckle.

The webbed hand neared my face. Yes, I wanted to be touched by this gentle, gorgeous creature. Maybe this would be the person that I’d never have to guard against. Who I knew would have my back, always. I’d struggled alone for so long, I just wanted someone to trust. Someone who —

My hand flicked up, the kindjal blade severing delicate fingertips from their webbing.

The creature screamed a high pitched wail that permeated the water. its fingers plopped into the lake, staining the surface dark green. Instantly the gentle aura vanished, replaced with vicious fury.

“Someone like that doesn’t exist,” I whispered and thrust down at the Nixie. Anger raged in my chest, choked my heart and sent a shock of energy through my lax muscles. I didn’t know if I was angry at the Nixie for tricking me into thinking I could trust it … or at myself for still wanting someone at my side.

You’d think that after being beaten down and thrown away so many times, I would get a hint? From the moment I tested as the weakest Hunter, my fate was sealed. I was meant to be alone. I’d always been alone and I always would be — this System made that all the more clear. I was different now, a kind of different that no one else could match or know about.

So any more thoughts of wanting a partner, someone I could trust, should just die.

The Nixie jerked back and I got my first look at its body. its bare chest was flat like a man’s, but the shape of its shoulders, torso, and slender waist was decidedly feminine. its hips flared to two pale legs. At its knees, pale blue webbed fins flowed down over long, webbed feet — like the graceful fins of a goldfish.

My kindjal missed. I didn’t know if it was because the Nixie moved faster than me, or if it was because of refraction. I reached out to grab the bleeding hand to keep it from fleeing, but my sixth sense went off.

I dodged to the left just as something pierced the air at my right. A spear tipped with a giant shark-like tooth embedded in my misty platform. I kicked out, sending it skittering across the water. I turned and saw another Nixie baring pointed teeth at me. Now that they were mad, its eyes were murderous rather than mesmerizing as the first Nixie’s had been. The beautiful blue rainbow had changed to a flat, almost lifeless black hole. It lunged up at me, aiming to grab my legs.

If it got me in the water, I was screwed. I jumped up and felt its sharp nails leave deep gouges in my calves. The Nixie’s fingers trailed to my boots and its nails hooked into the rim. It jerked me down just as I created a ledge of solid mist above me and grabbed onto it. I yelled out as I hung on, struggling to kick out of the grip.

“Let go!” I yelled and kicked my free leg.

The Nixie’s hold slackened and I kicked free. I flipped up on the mist and stared at the two Nixies ten feet below. They circled the water and stared up at me, black rage in their flat eyes. Blood dripped from my boot into the water below, the red fading into purple for a second before it disappeared in the gentle tide.

“Well, I found a couple Nixies,” I muttered to myself. “Go me. Now how to kill them while they’re underwater.”

I jumped to the side, behind the first Nixie, my boots skittering just an inch off the lake. The Nixies rushed me, nails elongating to sharp claws. I thrust out my left hand, palm out and fingers spread. A mist barrier appeared between me and the Nixies. They hit the barrier which only slowed their momentum for a second before they crashed right through.

So there really was a limitation to my ability. Hm. That’s fine. That second of slow down was all I needed.

I dodged to the right and slipped behind the first Nixie. Since it was already hurt, might as well keep at it, right? I stabbed at its back. Its tail slashed out, and hit my chest. My blade left a long cut down its back as I was thrown five feet. Desperately, I focused my ability to make sure there’d be ‘solid’ mist where I landed on my back and rolled to my feet.

I had barely stopped when I dodged out of the way of another spear attack. I hissed as the pointed tooth sliced across my side. It missed my vitals, but still hurt. I flicked my kindjal and knocked the spear away then landed a hard kick on the pretty face of the second Nixie. It let out a sharp wail and sank into the water. Not too far, I hope. I still needed to kill it.

The first Nixie was back. It kicked its webbed feet hard and sent a large splash of water in my direction. I gasped and created another mist barrier. The water slapped against the shield and dripped down it, most of it becoming new mist.

The first Nixie burst out of the water right under me. One slender arm clamped around my waist in a suffocating, bruising hold that slowly chipped away my HP. The long left hand reached up to my neck. I grabbed its wrist, and it became a test of my strength against it.

The Nixie flailed, trying to push and pull me off balance. I only had the two solid platforms under my feet. They held my weight plus the weight of the Nixie, but if I slipped off them, it would be trouble.

Its right hand gripped my back, nails painfully digging through my leather armor as it tried to climb up. Its mouth opened wide as it screeched, sending a briny puff of air as revealed sharp teeth that obviously wanted to bite me.

I gritted my teeth and tried to use my grip on its wrist to force it away. I twisted and bent my right arm in an awkwardly painful position. Then I activated Critical Hit and Quick Hit at the same time. My right hand short forward as if guided by the kindjal. Since it knew what to do, I let it happen. My blade sank into the tender flesh in the Nixie’s armpit and angled down. I felt the blade hit something hard — the Nixie’s energy crystal. There was a slight resistance then it shattered.

The Nixie didn’t even have time to react in shock or pain before it exploded into the small lights. I reached out and caught the two Drop Item orbs before they could hit the water.

Several dings echoed in my head.

[Daily Task: Kill two Nixies. 1/2]

[Mist Ability has upgraded. Mist Creation is now possible.]

Waves of water exploded around me. Ten foot swells rose up on all sides of me. I gasped and threw my hands out, creating a bubble shield. The waves crashed into the mist barrier and fizzled into more mist.

The lake water churned, no longer a glistening teal. From those frothing waves a dozen Nixie’s appeared above the surface, surrounding me. They each held a spear and were level sixteen or higher monsters.

To my right, a Nixie hissed and glared at me with hatred. Its perfect features were marred by a crooked nose, dark green blood slowly dripping from a nostril. Judging by its nose, I could only assume it was the second Nixie I’d booted in the face. Apparently it’d cried to mommy and came back with reinforcements.

A small part of me was glad that it came back. I still needed to kill it — or any Nixie, really. I just needed a second one for today. But now I was in a jam. I glanced at my half-empty HP bar. Mentally, I checked over my aching leg that was still drip, dripping blood into the water, then my bleeding side and back, and last my aching ribs. All this had happened with killing one Nixie. Did I really think I could take on a dozen at once? No, I didn’t.

Even so, I took a deep breath and gripped my kindjal tighter. Funny, I thought I’d be more scared than this. But my mind was still and focused on one thing. Survival.

The level 25 Nixie in front of me raised its hands in the air and glared at me with dead, black eyes. Unlike the other Nixies, there was a bulky red coral necklace circling its neck and a bracelet made out of what looked like Fanged Snapper scales on its wrist. As its hands rose, two waves of water swelled into the air behind it. Shit. It had water powers? Was this what crashed into me a second ago?

I held my hand out, concentrating hard on holding my protective bubble steady.

The Nixie hissed and jerked its hands, ready to throw the water at me.

Suddenly it froze. The rest of the Nixie’s jerked in shock and looked down into the water. An odd song full of disjointed pitches and clicks echoed from their throats. Were they … nervous?

My brows pulled together as I tried to see the cause of their sudden change in focus while still keeping an eye on the unnerved Nixies.

A giant shadow rose up from the depths of the lake right beneath us. A second later, a huge sailed fin broke through the surface of the water right outside the circle of Nixies.

*****