By Lyra Zwahn
Content Warning: Action, Violence
Poplar Skyway dunked her head into the sea and whipped it back out with delight. She smoothed her short-cropped Roegadyn hair down and looked out over the sloshing waters at sunset. The light shone through the dark clouds like slivers of golden foil, and while the sweltering heat of the day had faded, the humidity remained.
The boat rocked as Poplar wobbled over to sit near the fishing rods. They were braced and working their magic on the next round. She yawned at her flickering lantern and snacked on a piece of jerky pulled from a pouch on her belt. Over the side of the boat, a cluster of jellyfish glittered in pastels just yalms beneath the water’s surface while she chewed.
A bell on one of the rods jingled.
Poplar rushed over; the line was stretched taught. She shoved the remainder of the jerky into a pocket and wrangled the line. A little reeling and it wasn’t long before a seaweed-wrapped necklace rose from the water. Years of grime couldn’t mask its luster. Poplar polished it as best she could to reveal a sparkling gem embedded in purple metal.
“Lunar adamantite?” she whispered to herself in disbelief. How could something so precious end up here? She craned her head and gazed at the moon in the black, night sky. “Did it fall from … no,” she laughed to herself. Maybe it was from a shipwreck of sorts or an airship? Regardless, it was worth a fortune! Her mind raced at the thought of an easier life for her family. She nearly panicked to return to port because her pockets would soon overflow with gil! Her sister could finally get the treatment she desperately needed. But then, Poplar froze.
There could be more down there.
Indeed, more treasures could lie beneath the waves! Poplar hastily stowed the necklace alongside jerky in the pouch on her belt, cranked the buckle down like a vise, and lunged at a glass jar filled with tiny wind shards. She forced the air from her lungs and placed a small shard between her teeth and cheek. Its wind-aspected aether slowly started to fill her mouth, and eventually lungs, with fresh air.
Excited, she dove into the warm, glassy water. The descent to the shallow bottom was brief and brightened by moonlight shimmering through dark spires of kelp. Tiny fish swirled about while she searched without luck for any sign of treasure. Broken crates littered the sea floor, but she found nothing of value. Sand clouded the water, and a powerful rushing sound caused her to freeze.
Something big swam closer.
A large shark burst through the kelp with something dangling from its mouth, something alive and bleeding profusely. Poplar saw in dim light an unlucky Sahagin in the shark’s maw, his trident embedded in the fish’s torso. He pounded on the shark’s head to no avail, and the two circled the area on another approach.
Poplar grabbed the spear as it passed overhead on instinct. The force nearly dislocated her shoulder, but her experience as a dragoon helped her keep her grip. She pulled herself up to meet eyes with the desperate Sahagin. He wouldn’t survive long without help, and the attacker was clearly no ordinary shark. It was some sort of mutated beast, hungry for aether!
Poplar pried its jagged teeth with all her might only to slightly force the mouth open. It released a cloud of blood. Through it, she spied the Sahagin’s injured arm and a bright, green emerald ring glowing on his hand. Its sudden flash of light startled Poplar.
The trident suddenly broke free from the creature’s flesh and sent Poplar spiraling downward. Her lungs burned. Her mind hazy. She wondered how she could find herself in such a mess. She thought of how the necklace might be a curse in disguise, and even … why a Sahagin would ever wear such a ring.
That was it – the ring!
Poplar snapped from her daze. She released the buckle on the pouch at her waist and drew out the necklace. It glowed intensely, somehow reacting to the beast’s presence. She looked into its crystalline surface, thinking about her sister. She thought about a better life.
The shark, swimming stronger without the spear in its body, circled a stone nearby. It caught sight of the glowing necklace and a lust for aether overwhelmed it. It raced toward Poplar who reluctantly looped the necklace around the spires of the trident. As the beast closed in, she flung the spear off over its head and into the distance. The gem streaked through the dark like a burning meteor and sent the shark flipping over in pursuit.
The wounded Sahagin was released to sink downward, and with what strength she had left, Poplar grabbed him and leaped like never before from those murky depths. She launched upward with a column of water blasting into the night air. The boat was directly below, and they landed squarely in the center with a crash.
Poplar awoke to the calls of seagulls in the morning light.
The bells of ships in the harbor tolled while she rubbed her groggy eyes. She raised herself up from the splintered mess of boards that once made up the seats in her boat, and as the dizziness subsided, she remembered what happened. The Sahagin was nowhere to be found, but his blood was scattered about in the craft. She sat back against the interior of the boat, feeling a strange mixture of remorse and relief. It was a harrowing ordeal, and while she lost her dream of a better future, she survived.
Her stomach growled, and when she reached into the pouch on her belt to fetch jerky, she found something else – an elaborate emerald ring.
She smiled and rowed back to the harbor.
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Zwahn Tales 