The iron bolt dances in the air, its very tip glowing with a pale blue hue. The thin iron rod rotates clockwise and surely, steadily approaches its target; The impact is sudden, the tip clashes against hard scales, so hard that a normal weapon wouldn’t be able to break through them, but the magically infused bolt breaks them apart sending small shards flying left and right, the scales slightly deviated its course, but not enough to save the creature, the bolt pierces through the skin, making its way across the mermen’s head it finally rips out, peering halfway through the eye and stops as it lacks the impulse needed to fully go through the other end.

But it’s not necessary. The mission is a success, and the merman is dead, its body falling limply to the floor, a river of metallic crimson seeping through the cracks and onto the insides of the boat.

The youngest of the crewmen shuddered at the thought that cleaning duty would fall onto him.

“Mermen? What are those things?” the young man asked.

“For fuck's sake, kid, has no one ever told you?”

“No, it’s the first time I’ve heard of them. What are they?”

“a bad omen… a truly bad omen,”

Just a scant few minutes ago a warning was issued. Every crewman made their way up to the main deck just as a few more of the creatures boarded the ship, they were all dispatched with ease.

So much so that he didn’t feel at all in any danger; to the young man, these strange enemies were total weaklings.

“And is it mermen or merman?”

“Are you seriously asking me that now, kid?” The old man looked instantly irritated.

“I guess is mermen then. They don’t look too tough so there’s nothing to worry about. Don’t tell you are scared of some rotten fish looking punks’ old man,”

“It's not them that I am worried about, kid, lets's pray nothing worse comes. Now get ready. They definitely haven’t had enough,” The captain pointed at clearly visible claws making their way starboard side.