We arrived at a beautiful beach, there were tiki huts along the beach and all the locals were out fishing. After locating the chief, he told us that if we went crabbing for them, then we could get our letter for Alaya and join them for a feast tonight. 

This should be easy, catch a few crabs and eat some good food afterwards. Maybe I could go for a swim too. 

The chief gave us crab bait that we set up along the coast. We don’t have crab traps but hopefully Killer’s good at catching ‘em.

After a few minutes, a giant crab the size of a house came bursting out of the water. Killer got all excited and ready to fight while the rest of us jumped back in horror. 

Killer bolted towards the crab without hesitation.

“Wait! Don’t crack its shell!” I screamed. 

Killer stopped, turned around and said, “Huh? How me fight it?” 

While he was standing still, the crab grabbed Killer with his claw. 

“Oh sh*t.” I said. 

“What do we do?” Voyd asked. 

“Ro, you shoot it’s eyes out. Voyd, use your wind magic to boost me up on top of it.”

Ro took aim and fired, she took out both eyes in only two shots. After it was shot the crab’s grip on Killer tightened. 

“Owie!” Killer yelled. 

After Ro was finished, I sprinted towards the crab and jumped as high as I could. Voyd’s wind magic carried me onto the crabs back with ease. 

I took my gun out and aimed where its brain should be then I fired. The bullet went straight through and the crab collapsed instantly. 

I jumped off the crab’s back then the three of us went to loosen the crab's grip around Killer. Once he was free, we made him carry the crab back to the village. This thing is definitely big enough to feed everyone, I don’t think the chief wants us to catch any more. 

When we got back, the whole town watched us in awe. The commotion caused the chief to come out and greet us. 

“This is perfect! Tonight will be a great feast!” He said. 

“Yeah, now that that’s done, is it cool if we do a little swimming?” I asked. 

“Yes, but you mustn’t go too far.” The chief replied. 

“Why not? Will the crabs get us?” I asked. 

“Not the crabs, mermaids.” He said. 

“What? Why would the mermaids attack us?” 

“You mean you haven’t heard? The mermaids protect their home with deadly force, every ship that has tried crossing the sea since the mermaids first escaped has been swallowed by the ocean. So you mustn’t go farther than waist deep for your own safety.” The chief told us. 

“Oh I see… How come the lizards never joined them when they escaped?” I asked. 

“We wouldn’t be able to survive in the ocean. The mermaid’s powerful water magic allows them to move quickly underwater and fight off any predators. We simply don’t have the same advantages they do.” The chief replied.

“I see.” I replied.

“I’ll go get some swim wear for you all, I’ll be back in a moment.” The chief said. 

The chief left and brought back a pair of trunks for me, a one piece with a skirt for Voyd, and a sexy bikini for Ro. He also brought trunks for Killer but he said he’d swim in his speedo instead. 

We enjoyed our swim then after the sun set, we joined the locals for the feast. They set up a huge fire and boiled the crab in a massive pot. 

While we waited for the food to cook, a group of lizards danced around a statue while swinging batons lit on fire. I asked the chief about the celebration so I could find out the context. 

He replied, “Our tribe worships the fire spirit. This dance is how we show appreciation when we are blessed with a bountiful meal.” 

“Wait, if you guys were blessed with mana from the water spirit, how come you worship the others?” I asked.

“The water spirit might have blessed us directly, but all of them are responsible for bringing us life. Each of the nine tribes worships a different spirit, but all of us make a pilgrimage around the jungle once in our lifetime to worship them all, and also to show gratitude to Lady Alaya.” The chief replied.

“Ah, I get it now.” 

After the show had ended, the feast was ready. They had loads of crab, fish, and fruits lined up. We were told to grab as much as we could eat. I filled about half my plate up with crab meat and filled the rest with fruit. All of it was delicious and the unique fruit had flavors I’ve never tasted before. 

This is easily the 2nd best meal I’ve ever had behind only my final meal before my execution, which was: a rack of lamb chops, two lobster tails, smoked brisket, a loaded baked potato, a bacon wrapped pork chop, corn on the cob, garlic bread, a New York style cheese cake for dessert, and a chocolate milkshake.

The rest of the party and I enjoyed our night socializing with the locals. The celebration ended with them sending out a raft piled with burning wood out to sea. We watched it until a giant wave came from out of nowhere sending the raft under. 

“That was the mermaids.” The chief said. 

We said our goodbyes to the locals and spent the night at the chief’s hut. The next morning I felt amazing and joined up with the first caravan out the village to continue on our journey.