My name is Klint. I am a Jabberwocky. I have a centaur body type. I have smooth, white, fish-like skin. My head is that of a fish with large fish lips. I have dragon-like legs and human-like arms and hands. I have sharp cyan nails on my legs and hands, and my dorsal fin is a deep pink color, and my eyes are guarded by a special pair of spectacles.

  My life has been challenging due to my preference in magic. I chose to practice holy magic, a style my kind finds difficult. Other Jabberwockies study shadow, ice, or water magic. Holy magic is an art form so few creatures without sacred origins can perform, but I have made holy magic my life, and because of this, I am an adept in the field, but I do face ridicule from my fellow Jabberwockies, which has forced me into a life of solitude.

  I live in a cave on the eastern shore. No one comes here except for the mermaids; they are my main patrons. I heal their wounds in exchange for pearls and fresh fish. I also bestow blessings upon their little ones. It’s a service I am proud of. There is this one mermaid man who comes by daily just to spend time with me. I believe he has feelings for me, and I must say that I am growing feelings for him as well. He has bright light blue-colored hair, and he possesses a cream-yellow orca-patterned tail fin. It’s absolutely radiant. His name is Noira.

  Right now I am hard at work practicing this new spell. It involves creating an energy sword to slash at foes, but it is incredibly difficult. So far I keep all my spells written in my personal tome. The one thing that Jabberwockies are known for is writing in a strange cypher, and I am no different. My Cypher can only be understood by me or anyone else I teach it to, and so far that is no one. Another thing about Jabberwockies is that we are astute magical researchers. We study magic in all forms, and we retain knowledge from our parents lessons. My father saw my preference in magic to be a disgrace, but my mother encouraged my interests and actively helped me hone my craft. I was so grateful to my mother; however, she died from an illness when I was 24.

  But enough about that; as I’m practicing my spell, I eventually get fed up, and I take a break on the sandy beach. I then look out at the sea, and I let out a deep, raspy sigh. I consider going under the sea for a little R and R, but Jabberwockies can’t use their magic in water; that is our one weakness. Hell, if you get us a little wet, then we become weakened; hence, some Jabberwockies study water magic; it’s to gain control over others. Soon I see Noira’s tail breaching out of the water. I smile as he comes up to shore, and he lays beside me.

  Noira: “Hey Klint, how are you?”

  Klint: “Good, I’m taking a break at the moment; my new holy sword spell is proving to be difficult.”

  Noira smiled and said

  Noira: “Well, you’ll get it eventually. I had an interesting morning. I met up with some friends, and they tried to set me up with a date again.”

  Klint: “Really? And you turned them down?”

  Noira: “Yeah, I’d really rather date you, Klint.”

  I blushed heavily and said

  Klint: “Noira, are you serious?”

  Noira confidently nodded his head and said

  Noira: “You’re not like other Jabberwockies, Klint. You’re kind, sweet, and loving. You even do a lot of good for my kind.”

  I started to blush even more; I was so flattered, but at the same time, incredibly worried. How would we even, you know…. I started to get so flustered my spectacles started to fog up; I couldn’t help but start to panic, but then Noira placed his hand on my arm, and things started to get really hot.

  Noira then began to smile. I looked deep into his emerald eyes; things just felt right with him somehow. Noira then sat up; I leaned in close, and we shared a blissful kiss. This was my first kiss, and it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before—a true blessing upon me. Suddenly, a light began to radiate from my body. I felt so powerful; it was like waking up from a long sleep. When Noira pulled away, he had a sweet smile on his face. Noira then spent a sweet moment together, enjoying the view of the beach. Soon we parted ways. I then got up and began to practice my Holy Sword spell once again.

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  To my amazement, I had perfected it with little to no effort. What was this? Could this have something to do with the power I felt when I was kissing Noira? I returned to my cave, and I began to note today’s experiences in my tome.

  I spent literal hours trying to figure out what was so special about that kiss. Could it have something to do with my feelings towards Noira? No, that is impossible, isn’t it…?

  I was taught that emotions impede the efficiency of Magic, but was that really true? I never had such proficiency with Holy Magic before. I can think of only one other time where my prowess was this good. My mother and I were going to be attacked by knights. They had gotten my mother wet, and they trapped her in a poison snare. She was too weakened to do anything, and she told me to flee as the humans drew closer. A strange power welled up in my chest. I then tried one of my spells, and I unleashed a radiant blast of light at the humans. It was enough to bind them in chains of light. I then used the remainder of my mana to free my mother, and we escaped.

  After that, my magic had never been as powerful. That is, until now. Is love the true key? I then went outside my cave and began to practice my magic. I looked through all the drafts of my failed spells, and when I tried them while thinking of Noria and what he meant to me, I was mystified to see that all my spells worked to fruition. I was astounded. I ended up practicing my magic until, well, until daybreak the next day. I was so happy.

  I returned to my cave and rested for what little I could. I soon awoke to the sound of a serene tune. I knew the tune all too well; it was a mermaid flute. They are used to lure humans to their doom or sway the hearts of animals. I soon came out of my cave groggy. I then looked out onto the beach and saw a mermaid couple holding a basket with a small child inside it.

  I smiled and told them to send him over. The two parents then used hydromancy to manipulate the waves into gently bringing the child over. I smiled, and then I began to happily anoint this innocent child. I gave him a blessing for both wisdom and strength, but most importantly, I gave him the blessing to forever be loved. I then sent him back to his parents. The two then scooped up their child and hugged him. They then filled the basket with pearls and captured shellfish. That would be my breakfast.

  Once I got the basket, I began to separate the pearls from the crabs. Another thing that sets me apart is I like to cook my food. Other Jabberwockies are more prone to devour their prey alive, but any prey always tastes better after being thoroughly cooked. It’s probably my magic preference having an influence on me, but I enjoy my new life choices with the crabs still wet. I have lost the use of my magic for some time, so I have to prepare a cookfire by hand.

  This isn’t an issue considering I had to do this plenty of times before I went over to my sleeping quarters and grabbed my messenger bag, and I placed my tome inside it. I then prepared the fire pit by placing two large stones beside it. I then cleaned it up a bit, removing anything that would hinder the flame. Then I took two flintstones and began to place the last of my good driftwood in the fire pit. Then I rubbed two flintstones, causing sparks to fly.

  Suddenly there is a roaring fire, and I place a larger stone over the fire, thus creating a makeshift stove. I then set to work snuffing the life out of my crabs and cooking them. I hear spices are used to enhance the flavor of food, but sadly I don’t have any. I should consider buying some next time I’m in the Fable Market.

  But for now I eagerly cook my crabs. I’ve learned from my past experiences to not let my food cook too long or you risk burning it, so after a good while I eat my crabs. Luckily my strong teeth are able to easily destroy the crab shells, so eating them whole is no trouble. Once I am full, I proceed to do my next chore.

  You see, I have a good relationship with the humans that live on this island. I sell items in exchange for gold coins, which I use to buy provisions. The only bad thing is that the humans only do trade with Fae creatures on one night a year; they call it Fable Night. Humans hate us simply due to fear. Luckily, the humans on this island seem a little more enlightened than those on the mainland.

  The Fable Market's human setup has attracted more and more foreigners, and my pearl loops make for an interesting commodity. The pearl loops I use are no ordinary pearls; they are special, you see. Mermaids create a special pearl upon their death. These pearls are sacred among the merfolk, but to humans, they are highly valued treasures. Mermaids will only give up their pearls if they truly need to, and for the service I provide, it is an equal trade. You may be asking why the mermaids would come to me when they could anoint themselves; well, the answer is clear.

  More and more mermaids are having relations with the Beast Merfolk; some do it out of love, others use the Beast Merfolk as a surrogate mother, and the last reason is…. Unpleasant either way, when this is done, the child is born with a mark that, if not removed through a holy blessing, will cause the child to die within weeks. They also know that Jabberwockies are decent in the arts of magic; we are on par with wizards, but not by much, so I am a valued asset to them.

  The Pearls also have a certain magical quality to them, though it is faint, but it is enough to sway people to buy. Anyway, I make the Pearls into loops and then sell them at the Fable Market. It pays really well, but sadly, I’ve been getting fewer customers as of late. I think it’s due to my kind. They’ve been actively raiding ships and harming passengers. It’s really bad for the humans that live here. I feel like I might need to do something about it.

  Two hours later, and I have finished the last of the pearl loops. I hide them away, and then I go out onto the beach like always. I look out at the sea as the sea breeze passes over my scales. I hear the sound of footsteps. I look over and see it’s a human. Interesting; they rarely come to this shore. He cautiously approaches me.

  And just stares at me for a few moments before saying

  Human: “Are you the Jabberwocky who uses holy magic?”

  Klint: “And if I am?

  Human: “Please, you have to do something. The other Jabberwockies have gotten out of control; ships can’t get close to the island.”

  I think it over for a bit and groan, standing up.

  Klint: “Fine.”

  Human: “Excuse me?”

  Klint: “I’ll do it, but I require a service in return…”

  Human: “Oh, thank you, oh kind Fae, and I promise I will repay you in any way possible.”

  I then get up and stretch; I then check on my Tome. Yep, still in mint condition. With that out of the way, I make my way to the Western Shore.

  End of Pilot