《The Small Sealmen of Sharpy Island》Chapter 27: Seal Searching
Advertisement
Menelaus Winslow Groat, the Phoque King Lighthouse keeper, bobbed up and down as the waves of the Atlantic Ocean rocked his humble row boat. He was out in not particularly deep waters off the coast of his rocky island, scouring the sea for signs of seals. But not just any seal- a seal of suitable physical constitution to survive being transformed by black magic into a human-seal monstrosity yet still pleasent enough in demeanor and in appearance to serve as an adequate priest stand-in for his forced marriage scheme.
Needless to say, Menelaus thus far was not having much luck finding such a specimen.
It had been easy enough to acquire seals for his experiments previously; the stony beach of Sharpy Island, just across the way, had been a popular spot for seals to sun themselves. The creatures didn't seem to care when Menelaus would show up, large net in hand, and drag one or two away to a more secluded location where he could cast his spells and say the required incantations. But then Sharpy Island was bought for property development and the presence of the interior decorators and builders and all sorts of people now coming and going from the beach (plus, the rather unfortunate practice by the decorators of slaughtering seals for kitschy household ambience) had all but scared the seals off. Phoque King Light, despite its name, did not have the same comfortable sunning location for seals and attracted few visitors; and so, Menelaus had little hope but to take to the sea in search of marine mammals.
Truthfully, he was perfectly content with the three sealmen he already had. Just keeping them fed and happy was a challenge enough. None of the trio were house-broken, with Sealy Dan being the worst offender of dropping particularly sizable dueces wherever he pleased. And Sealy Stan, he often had nightmares and would toss and turn as he dreamed, shaking the whole lighthouse with his fits of fear. And then Sealy Jan...well, he was just a snob. Sure, they were Menelaus's friends, if only by creation, but they were still alot of work. Perhaps now that Sophia would be forced to be his bride she could at the very least help clean up after them.
Advertisement
Sophia. She was so lovely, Menelaus mused. Truly, he did not deserve such a beauty. Well, okay, he knew deep down he really didn't deserve her and that her entire relationship with him was to be built on his threatening to kill her half-brother if she did not comply, but that said more about his flaws than anything negative about her qualities. She would be a beautiful bride and he would find an adequate seal to make the priest to do the job as that was her one request. He wasn't totally unreceptive to her needs and desires.
But as he sat in his boat, gazing out to the ocean, he was a bit disheartened by the lack of motion. Sure, there were seagulls, but seagullmen hardly had the same draw for Menelaus. He knew for sure the spells he had learned worked on seals. It had to be a seal he turned into a half-man to be a priest. That would be the fastest route to securing their nuptials and then the fastest route to getting sanctioned smooches from beautiful Sophia. In fact, Sophia had indicated her love for Menelaus would grow should he make her a priest sealman; seeing as her affection for him was all but non-existent now, winning any of her love seemed pretty good at this point. It's much easier to force someone to marry you if they already sort of like you, Menelaus reasoned.
He was, however, then startled by the unexpected sounds of loud chatting carrying through the air. He turned to look out at Sharpy Island, not far in the distance. On the beach, he saw them- the forms of five men and one woman. The woman, of course, was Sophia's older relative he had already met the day before, and two of the men he knew instantly- one was Sophia's stuffy father and one her sissy cousin. A third, perhaps, was the manservant of the house, if Menelaus was seeing clear enough. But the other two men- about his age yet more distinguished looking- were unknown to the lighthouse keeper. There was something strangely recognizable about them, yet Menelaus could not tell just what. He observed them all board their island's small electric boat, with the manservant in place to steer. It was only once the boat took off and was headed straight for Phoque Kind Light that Menelaus, to his sudden panic, realized their intented destination was, in fact, his island. They incidentally hadn't seen him out in the sea as they approached the island from the opposite side.
Advertisement
But they all openly hate me, he thought as he quickly grabbed the boat's oars and began vigoriously rowing back, why the HELL would they want to come visit me now of all times?!
He could not make sense of it; he had been certain his plan of isolating Sophia and forcing her to become his lover-prisoner forever would go undetected despite her family's mansion being just across the way. Summer would turn into Fall, the Dillys would leave to return to the city and not doubt sell the property to escape the painful memories there, other wealthy families would avoid buying it htemselves from the bad energy associated with its reputation, and, once again, Menelaus would be alone...except this time with his trusted sealmen and dear Sophia for companionship. Yes, everything should have been set for those wheels to turn. Why now would the Dilly family and their unfamiliar guests want to actually set foot at Phoque King Lighthouse?
As he rushed to get back to the rocky shore and pull his boat in a thought then crossed his mind- the sealmen. He had sent them outside to guard. Certainly there as no risk of Sophia escaping with them watching her, but Sophia had also mentioned the unfortunate business of the sealmen murdering someone the night before.
Well, Menelaus sighed, murder would not be ideal until I find out the reason for their visit. But if murders had to happen, hopefully it was out of sight of his lovely Sophia. It might take away some of his sway to force her to marry him if she already knew her whole family was executed prior to their wedding.
Advertisement
- End876 Chapters
The Strongest Gene
Chen Feng, of modern earth, had suffered bad luck since birth. After finding the legendary “lucky artifact,” his bad luck peaked and he became the only person killed in an earthquake. By a twist of fate, he found himself transmigrated into a different and magical world! A world much larger than earth. A world only partially explored due to the dangers within. A world where human civilization centered around genes. In this world, human beings possessed all sorts of abilities due to genetic fusion. Some went on to create world-changing technologies with their mysterious genetic abilities, while others went on to become undefeated genetic warriors with their combat genetic abilities. How will Chen Feng fare in this new world?
5 6868 - In Serial533 Chapters
The Last Primal
Darkness. The ultimate ruler, the true One-Above-All. Everything starts from it, and everything returns to it eventually. People say that in your final moments, darkness seeps in your very existence, engulfs your whole being. They say it’s an incredibly relaxing feeling that takes you on your journey to your afterlife. They say that in the very darkness, the ‘nothingness’ your weary soul will finally be able to rest and relax. This brings up some very philosophical and existential questions. Do you even exist?
8 392 - In Serial17 Chapters
I'm an Alley Cat with a Status Screen
I'm a (not so) humble alley cat that found a portal to a fantasy world. The system immediately gave me self-awareness and taught me the meaning of words. Now I can't seem to find my way back to my old world, but that's ok, because this world allows me to become a fearsome predator by earning levels and skills. Follow my journey as I wage a bloody vendetta against the dog headed kobolds and any other dog-like creature I happen to enounter. Also, treats and chin scratches are used to bribe me into helping hapless cat eared people. Other adventures await! Warning: Gore tag is serious. People get eaten by monsters. Monsters get eaten too. Lots of blood. Not for the faint of heart. Cover Art by kgy121 of Experimental Wuxia Novel Disclaimer: The views portrayed by characters in this novel are not the author's own. I don't actually hate dogs.
8 165 - In Serial25 Chapters
Transported To A Different World While In A VR Game?
Akira Kageyama, a perfectly ordinary boy with a perfectly ordinary life.Well, if you count being bullied nearly every day normal that is.From the anguish of the peer pressure he received continuously, his personality became distorted. Twisted into someone who wanted nothing to do with real life.Yes, his true life now is in a fantasy world.Meet Fantasma Online, a popular VRMMORPG set in a classic medieval era world, complete with humans warring against the Demon Lord.Now, you might be thinking, """"Well, that sounds pretty generic"""". If you do, then you can't be more wrong in your assessment.For you see, the main selling point of this game is not the visible conflict between the two races, but the stealth race between the two of them to discover the long lost civilization of Fantasma.Yes, the whole game is about that grand mystery, Players are encouraged to solve the many puzzles in the game world to gain prestige and treasure.And Akira was one of them.Indeed, after giving up on real life Akira went full on out into playing the game. He had always been obsessed with solving any puzzles he found since he was a kid, so he refused to let any puzzle in the game unsolved.And thus, he became the strongest player in the game. Not just from his character level but from the legendary Fantasma equipment he had. He owned the Pure Obsidian sword, the sword with the highest attack in the game, far surpassing any other swords. And he was the sole owner of that sword, as a reward for unearthing the Reversed Garden, one of the major Fantasma ruins of the world.However, one day, just as he thought he was about to solve what he thought was the last puzzle of another major Fantasma ruin, a blinding light suddenly enveloped him. And when he could open his eyes again, he was standing in a familiar place. It was the castle where every new player spawned.But wait, how was it that the NPC king and princess now are able to talk freely, unlike the usual fixed responses they only have? And his logout button is now gone?Could it be? Did the game just become reality?
8 236 - In Serial26 Chapters
The Marquess and The Rose
The Marquess and The Rose The Marquess...Dominic McAllister, The Marquess of Grisham is a tall, dark and handsome bachelor. He is a hedonistic rake in his own right and he prefers to stay that way. The Rose...Emilia Westham the tons petite wallflower, a meek, young beauty that has not yet blossomed. When Dominic finds Emilia injured on his boat, he nurses her back to health and events take place that go beyond his control. It awakens a passionate encounter that shakes them both to their core.His tender caresses and stolen kisses turn the petite wallflower into a sensual, beautiful rose that blossoms under his touch.One he plucks and keeps for himself. ****WARNING: THIS STORY IS OF MATURE NATURE THAT CONTAINS FOUL LANGUAGE, STRONG SEXUAL CONTENT AND IS FOR ADULT READERS...****EXTREME GRAMMATICAL ERRORS INCLUDEDBE WARNED
8 118 - In Serial17 Chapters
The Triplets' Guides (Reader Insert Version)
This is the guides of the Pines triplets from the original short clips by Alex Hirsch and Disney. This story features Mabel's Guides, Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained, and (y/n)'s Guides, created by me.The main picture belongs to me. I drew the whole thing, except for the background, which belongs to Hirsch and Disney. Sorry it got cut off a bit. If you wanna see what the full picture looks like, just find my story on Quotev. My account username is Mira Cole.
8 109