Erika sighed, trudging back across the beach, her sandals kicking up sprays of burning hot sand as she went. This was the part she didn't like. The sun was down, she was drunk, alone, and needed to go find some pce to sleep it off. After the frustrating experience with the kitsune, Erika had just spent the rest of the afternoon getting absolutely shitfaced until she passed out. By the time she woke up, it was dark out and the moon was just rising.

  The moon shimmering off the waves was giving her a decent bit of illumination to see by, although her css also took care of most of that with her darkvision. Erika ran her hand through her short pink hair, frustrated. She hadn't even masturbated today, too distracted by the kitsune and then too pissed off. What kind of idiot god sent a slutty kitsune to help her, but made the kitsune a prude? How did that even make sense? Erika gnced up at the dark sky, stars painting a tapestry from horizon to horizon.

  "Fi, if you're out there and listening, you need to tell me what to do. I mean, sure. I'll wander around the world having sexy hijinks everywhere I go, but it feels like I should be doing more. Want me to save the world? Want me to build a temple in honor of the great rape-y tentacle monster? Give me some fucking guidance, please?"

  "Erika", came a voice from the sea. Erika ground to a halt, stunned by the response. She hadn't expected that so quickly. The voice came again.

  "Erika, sweet witch of the night, Hear my song through the moon's soft light."

  "Huh," Erika said, gncing around. The beach was still empty, but the voice pulled at her. She wasn't sure where yet, but it was plucking a string inside of her that she hadn't even realized was there. Her body resonated to the string, the voice striking deep within her core, an almost primal note.

  "Feel the pull of the ocean's kiss, A dance of darkness, of bliss."

  Erika felt herself continuing to walk, adjusting her direction slightly. She was pretty sure she could tell where the voice was coming from. Maybe this was Fi's answer to her question, her purpose?

  "Let my song be your guide, To where ecstasy and magic collide."

  As she rounded the next part of the beach, she could see a distant rock outcropping. A figure sat on the rock in the distance, seeming to be the source of the voice. She couldn't exactly tell from the distance, but it looked like a nude woman was sitting there, moonlight reflecting off the surrounding ocean. Waves crashed against the rocks, the spray obscuring the woman briefly.

  "Come, Erika, to the sea’s embrace, Where our desires will interce."

  Erika started to trot, worried the waves might have hurt the woman. As the tide receded, the woman was no longer on the rocks but instead seemed to be treading water a few yards offshore. Waves continued to crash in around her, breaking roughly against the rocks as the ocean's fury seemed to build.

  "My song, a siren's call to you, Let’s weave magic, just we two."

  The undertow seemed to pull the woman back further away from the beach. Erika reached the rocks and shouted, "Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?"

  "Erika", came the voice from the woman in the ocean. "Come to me." Erika quickly tossed her clothing to the side, stripping down and stepping up onto the rock, preparing to leap into the ocean.

  "I'll rescue you, just wait a second," Erika said, suddenly nervous as she peered down at the ocean from her perch on the rocks. The waves were building in intensity and the woman was now at least a dozen yards offshore, seemingly pulled by the undertow. A faint blue glow seemed to be surrounding the woman as floated in the ocean, bobbing with the waves. "Holy shit, what am I doing? I'm not a great swimmer. There's no oceans in North Dakota, don't you know?"

  "Erika, please. I need you."

  "Ah fuck, damsel in distress. I can't say no." Erika dove into the water, a wave immediately knocking her under and scraping her against the rocks, dragging her and tumbling her. She broke the surface, coughing and sputtering, a wave spping her in the face and knocking her underwater again. Erika swam, trying to right herself, and came up for air again. She gasped for breath, drawing in a quick mouthful of air before another wave knocked into her, and she ended up swallowing a mouthful of seawater.

  Erika coughed, vomited, and tried to keep her head above water. She gnced around, trying to orient herself and spot the woman she was trying to rescue. Suddenly, the rocks she'd jumped in from seemed so far away - she was at least twenty yards offshore. The mysterious woman was drawing closer, though. Erika tried to tread water again, gncing around. The ocean seemed to be glowing beneath her, which was unusual - she thought. I mean, maybe it's normal. Who the fuck knows? I'm no ocean expert, she thought to herself. She tried to swim towards the woman and immediately another wave rolled her under, knocking her against an unseen set of rocks. Erika shrieked underwater as she felt the sharp edges ripping into her flesh.

  She bobbed back to the surface, tears on her face as blood streamed down her body and disappeared into the ocean water around her. I hope there's no sharks, Erika thought. This was a mistake. Erika struggled to keep above water, the waves continuing to pound at her as the ocean grew more treacherous. She could feel herself tiring, the motions of swimming in the turbulent ocean stressing unfamiliar muscles.

  "Erika," came the voice next to her ear. Erika could feel a cold breath on her neck as the woman wrapped herself around the witch's body. "You came for me."

  "That's ... what ... " Erika wheezed, struggling to stay afloat now that she had the woman's weight on her. She felt herself pulled under the waves and struggled, her head cresting the waves again. "She said," Erika finished with a coughing ugh, before another wave knocked her underwater. As she went under, she tried to get a clear look at the woman clinging to her, surrounded by a blue glow. The beautiful but almost bird-like woman's haunting face stared back at her through the dim glow of the ocean. Erika could feel an arm bell ringing in her head, something about this was supposed to be familiar, but she couldn't recall.

  Her lungs burnt, desperate for oxygen, as she realized she was sinking further under the water. She needed to swim up, but this crazy woman was in her way. Erika fought, spping away the mysterious woman's hands and tried to struggle for the surface. Her head broke free of the ocean, and she began to inhale a shaky breath right as a hand grasped her ankle and pulled her back down. Erika spun, trying to swim in the murky darkness and break free of the woman. This crazy bitch was going to drown her, and she couldn't break free.

  The woman pulled Erika down, the moon a shimmering orb of white on the other side of the ocean's surface, receding as Erika's limbs grew heavy. Erika could see the strange woman's face now as she swam in front of her. The stranger smiled, teeth as sharp as needles somehow visible in the darkening ocean. "Got you, Erika." Shit, Erika thought, her vision graying as the oxygen fled her brain. She saw several dim shapes in the water surrounding her as she shut her eyes.

  WhimsicalLantern