The mermaid queen pointed at the small fish and burst out laughing. Shin looked at Bael with a confused expression, a stark contrast to the determined look on Bael's face.
The queen, still laughing, said, "And what is this tiny critter going to do to me?"
Bael grinned. "I'm glad you asked."
"Gear 2."
The fish's cheeks puffed up. The mermaid queen stared, confused. Then a huge burst of black water shot from the fish's mouth, blowing the queen away.
The mermaids rushed at the pair. Just as they got close, an air bubble formed around Shin and Bael.
Bael swung his sword and beheaded the attacking mermaids.
"Okay Finn, let's get giggy with it," Bael said, gesturing to the fish.
By the time the mermaid queen regained her balance, shock had overtaken her rage. Before her stood a whole school of black fish.
"Try me, small fry," she swung her trident.
With a massive gust of water, she blew the fish aside. One remained and stood before her. The mermaid queen scoffed.
The fish charged at her, transforming into a giant great white shark. It opened its jaws at the queen.
She dodged to attack and swam away, but the fish caught up with surprising speed and agility.
When the queen looked back, she was shocked to see a whole pack of great white sharks behind her.
Each moved with coordinated, military-like precision. The queen smiled and came to a halt.
Well, well, well. You were holding out on me, land dweller.
The mermaid queen spun her trident. The currents pulled the sharks and the remaining mermaids into a whirlpool created by her.
The whirlpool tore up everything in its path. Shin and Bael survived by staying inside the air bubble.
The queen stared at Bael, grinning wildly. Bael grinned back.
Fuck yeah. This is what I live for.
Bael summoned another small fish in his hands.
"Hey Finn, could you drag her to the bottom of the lake for me?" Bael said in a playful voice.
The fish wriggled in the air, then swam out of the bubble. Riding the water current, it transformed into an orca whale just as it reached the queen.
The mermaid queen stopped spinning her trident, caught off guard, as the orca whale struck her and swam back to the bottom of the lake.
The other sharks that survived the whirlpool followed the orca whale downward.
Bael looked at Shin. "To the surface, please."
Shin smiled and nodded. They shot upward and broke through the lake's surface, landing near their campsite.
They were tired, soaked, and drained, but ultimately alive. They walked back to their campsite, changed clothes, and began packing up.
"Are you sure we shouldn't try to get help?" Shin asked as he tied the remaining bag.
"Yes, but we should be fine. Finn should be able to hold her down long enough for us to reach a safe distance, plus I can handle her," Bael answered confidently.
"Luckily we're on land. She can't do much without access to water," Shin added.
The two then sat down by the lake, taking some time to process everything that had happened.