"Lot of things have changed from ah...that place yer from. S'cut off, right? So it's like me not knowin' what a missile was n' gettin' smacked with quite a few 'fore I started shootin' them down! What makes me up is from the last era of gunships n' torpedoes, none of this fancy junk. They found out if you shape it right and it's thin enough, metal floats."
Her fat face broke out into a toothy grin as she rolled over to face her mermaid friend, tubby hands rubbing together as the devilish plot formed. If there was one thing a Re-class was good at, it was thinking on the fly, and when it came to feeding her massive self, none were more motivated than Rei. "Don't worry~ I got a wonderful little idea..."
- - - - -
For the fishermen, it had been a normal day. The trawling crane was out, dredging its net through the waters below for a piscine bounty, and picture-perfect weather with not a cloud in the sky. A deckmate, peering out over the ocean as the ship gently bobbed along, spent a few moments admiring the glistening waters before turning back to his work.
His attention was ripped away from his task as he caught sight of some black and pale mass out of the corner of his eye, only for the ripples of the ocean's surface to greet him. He briefly wondered if there'd been an orca pod sighting somewhere, though a sinking feeling in his gut told him otherwise. Something else lurked beneath the water, angling for their rigging, and as he peeked over the ship's railing-
"Hey! Enough sightseeing already, we're about to pull the catch in."
The call of the foreman banished the thoughts almost immediately. As long as whatever it was didn't bother the boat, it was fine. If it was Abyssal-related, the local naval port could easily dispatch a few Kanmusu to deal with whatever it was. On the far side of the deck near the bridge, the rigging operator started up the winch and the boat lurched ever so slightly, the sure sign of a fine dredge.
Then the winch seized. Their vessel lurched heavily to port, much more than usual. These things happened-all they would need to do is pay out some line, it probably got snagged on a rock somewhere.
A bell mounted to the rigging mast clattered as the ship sagged again, the list obvious to all those on the deck as loose gear began to slide away. The net line was drawn taut, the crane arm bending slightly as something massive kept the net pinned. Panic set in among the crew, but even as the winch payed out more line for life-saving slack, the list worsened, sending buckets and tackle over the edge and into the drink.
The deckmate let himself slide to the railing and peered over the edge once more, trying to see what manner of sea beast could manage to bring their fine ship to its knees-
A ghastly, wolfish grin; glowing eyes peering over cheeks round as melons but pale as death; a cloak of darkness trying in vain to cover the swollen, blubberous bulk hanging from the net's line; and a monstrous tail almost unbelievably thick, its plated head swinging around as best as it could with a trio of cannon turrets. He stared in shock as the behemothic anomaly heaved herself downward below the surface and the boat groaned in agony, this strange beast taxing its rigging to the limits as it slipped even further into its dangerous list.
"Now that I got yer attention, fine gentlemen...how about we cut a deal?" the monster gurgled, her grin never leaving the huge cheeks that spilled from her hood.
- - - - - - -
"A little scare goes a long way, wouldn'tcha say? Got ourselves a lovely feast for our trouble!" Rei cheered, showing off the great armful of salmon she'd managed to score for them. Having decided to swim a bit closer to the river mouth as the trawler packed up and puttered away from the pair of aquatic lasses, Rei offered the bounty to Wakasagahime first, practically beaming at her mischief.
"Princess gets first pick!"
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