Almalthia had been sunning herself on one of the empty docks in the harbor. She was quiet, and still, warming herself before the plunge she would soon be taking. There were the occasional glances from disapproving women and the stares of would be admiring sailors. Perhaps sunning herself in the nude would have been less wise had she not been so neatly able to dissuade those who would molest her with those shark's teeth of hers. After an hour had passed and she was feeling rather rosy, she deigned it time to get to business.
She rose with the grace of flowing water, and stood perched on the end of the dock for long moments. A cold breeze ruffled her hair, multi-hued strands lifted away from her slender neck. Her head was tilted up, eyes closed. A stunning semblance of a woman, but semblance only. Without another moment's hesitation she dove from the dock into frigid ocean. Her legs melded together becoming scaled with glittering sapphire, long slender barbs sliding out from along her spine right down to those sweeping fins and flukes that fanned out on the water like some exotic skirt. The barbs of course were coated in a viscous venom that could stun her prey, as well as glowing with faint bio-luminescence. Her hands became webbed, as she dove, pupils dialating, though this did little good as the light steadily diminished. This made no difference to her as she used sonar to find her way as the darkness swallowed her. In the gloom soft tendrils of light emerged from amid her own floating tresses. Tendrils, not unlike those of a jellyfish and just as bio-luminescent as her barbs emerged. she would need every trick she had, she was hunting giant squid.
A dimly lit silhouette in the frigid darkness, she explored the hunting grounds of her intended prey. It was not long before she found her target, or rather it found her, almost. She picked up a 'ping' as the squid that had sought to come up behind her was not as subtle as it should have been, too eager for what it thought would be easy prey. Exactly what she was not. A flurry of bubbles as she hissed, and twisted in the water as she felt tentacles attempting to wrap around her tail to jerk back in pain as they met with barbs. The venom wasn't strong enough to stun the entire creature, but those two tentacles were now out of play. She pushed her advantage.
A quick flip, rolling vertically had those barbs aimed for a saucer-like eye, but the creature had learned quickly what those barbs could do, and deflected her strike with a lucky shot to the midriff. Gills fluttered as she caught her breath and shook herself. Eyes flickered black flecked with crimson, not that the beast was smart enough to understand the very real danger it was in. Obviously, it did not. Three tentacles snaked out wrapping around her, this time careful to avoid those painful barbs, drawing her in toward that sharp beak.
It was too stupid to realize this was what she wanted it to do. That tail might as well have been prehensile for all it's agility, and she managed to slice two of the three tentacles holding her stunning them, the third had twitched aside at the last possible moment. She growled, though the creature likely could not hear her, and as she was thrust in toward that beak, for what surely should have been the kill, her hair suddenly fanned out, those jellyfish like tendrils latching onto the main body of the squid and stinging it with a powerful neurotoxin. Even as the squid began to seize up, it's internal organs ceasing to function, it got in an impossibly lucky strike, sharp beak sinking into her shoulder. It was good for her, the toxic sting was so fast acting and potent, because had the squid's muscles been working properly, she would now be minus an arm.
Instead it gave her a nasty gash that would likely scar but was not deep enough to damage anything permanently. It was gruesome, but superficial as these things went. Blood clouded around her. This could pose a problem, but she was quick to move, knowing better than to hang around bloody waters. The salt water was already helping to staunch the bleeding. there wasn't much as good as sea water for cleansing a wound, so she was not worried about infection. She hauled the now-limp squid up, up toward the surface and the shallows. She lingered in the shallows for some time, allowing her shoulder to be cleansed by the water as shark's teeth tore into the succulent flesh of her prize. Well worth it. After she had eaten her fill, there was still much to be had.
She thought a moment before convincing a fish merchant to butcher and package the majority of the remaining squid for her. In exchange she gave him a heft portion of the meat, as she could only carry so much on land anyhow. She exited the water, making legs in her usual fashion, much to the merchant's shock (and delight) and made the trade. The package she now possessed, weighed perhaps eight or nine pounds and was well wrapped in paper and twine. This she carried in a sack, the man had thoughtfully given her filled with ice. She made her way merrily to the inn, sack slung over uninjured shoulder. She was well pleased with herself, and it showed in those opalescent eyes.
She rose with the grace of flowing water, and stood perched on the end of the dock for long moments. A cold breeze ruffled her hair, multi-hued strands lifted away from her slender neck. Her head was tilted up, eyes closed. A stunning semblance of a woman, but semblance only. Without another moment's hesitation she dove from the dock into frigid ocean. Her legs melded together becoming scaled with glittering sapphire, long slender barbs sliding out from along her spine right down to those sweeping fins and flukes that fanned out on the water like some exotic skirt. The barbs of course were coated in a viscous venom that could stun her prey, as well as glowing with faint bio-luminescence. Her hands became webbed, as she dove, pupils dialating, though this did little good as the light steadily diminished. This made no difference to her as she used sonar to find her way as the darkness swallowed her. In the gloom soft tendrils of light emerged from amid her own floating tresses. Tendrils, not unlike those of a jellyfish and just as bio-luminescent as her barbs emerged. she would need every trick she had, she was hunting giant squid.
A dimly lit silhouette in the frigid darkness, she explored the hunting grounds of her intended prey. It was not long before she found her target, or rather it found her, almost. She picked up a 'ping' as the squid that had sought to come up behind her was not as subtle as it should have been, too eager for what it thought would be easy prey. Exactly what she was not. A flurry of bubbles as she hissed, and twisted in the water as she felt tentacles attempting to wrap around her tail to jerk back in pain as they met with barbs. The venom wasn't strong enough to stun the entire creature, but those two tentacles were now out of play. She pushed her advantage.
A quick flip, rolling vertically had those barbs aimed for a saucer-like eye, but the creature had learned quickly what those barbs could do, and deflected her strike with a lucky shot to the midriff. Gills fluttered as she caught her breath and shook herself. Eyes flickered black flecked with crimson, not that the beast was smart enough to understand the very real danger it was in. Obviously, it did not. Three tentacles snaked out wrapping around her, this time careful to avoid those painful barbs, drawing her in toward that sharp beak.
It was too stupid to realize this was what she wanted it to do. That tail might as well have been prehensile for all it's agility, and she managed to slice two of the three tentacles holding her stunning them, the third had twitched aside at the last possible moment. She growled, though the creature likely could not hear her, and as she was thrust in toward that beak, for what surely should have been the kill, her hair suddenly fanned out, those jellyfish like tendrils latching onto the main body of the squid and stinging it with a powerful neurotoxin. Even as the squid began to seize up, it's internal organs ceasing to function, it got in an impossibly lucky strike, sharp beak sinking into her shoulder. It was good for her, the toxic sting was so fast acting and potent, because had the squid's muscles been working properly, she would now be minus an arm.
Instead it gave her a nasty gash that would likely scar but was not deep enough to damage anything permanently. It was gruesome, but superficial as these things went. Blood clouded around her. This could pose a problem, but she was quick to move, knowing better than to hang around bloody waters. The salt water was already helping to staunch the bleeding. there wasn't much as good as sea water for cleansing a wound, so she was not worried about infection. She hauled the now-limp squid up, up toward the surface and the shallows. She lingered in the shallows for some time, allowing her shoulder to be cleansed by the water as shark's teeth tore into the succulent flesh of her prize. Well worth it. After she had eaten her fill, there was still much to be had.
She thought a moment before convincing a fish merchant to butcher and package the majority of the remaining squid for her. In exchange she gave him a heft portion of the meat, as she could only carry so much on land anyhow. She exited the water, making legs in her usual fashion, much to the merchant's shock (and delight) and made the trade. The package she now possessed, weighed perhaps eight or nine pounds and was well wrapped in paper and twine. This she carried in a sack, the man had thoughtfully given her filled with ice. She made her way merrily to the inn, sack slung over uninjured shoulder. She was well pleased with herself, and it showed in those opalescent eyes.