Rival light.

The four attendants held their breath as the light beneath the water grew brighter, almost like a tiny super nova beneath the waves.

"Aye, that's her alright." The eldest nodded, gripping his pipe and nodding.

The young ork at the stern rolled his eyes and moved his chewing gum to the other side of his mouth. "That's the reflection of the sun, old timer." he smirked. "You hear whale song and you go 'oooh it's a monster! A beast of legend.'

The oarman snickered.

Gripping his pipe angrily in his strongest remaining teeth, the older man hissed at them both.
"Hush up the pair of you. I KNOW what a blasted whale sounds like and it ain't no..."

The pipe clattered to the floor of the boat forcing the man rowing to angrily stamp its smouldering contents.

"SECURE YOUR SHIT, OLD MAN! WANNA LIGHT US U-"

The forth occupant clapped a hand over his mouth and turned his head where all the rest of them were looking. A wad of gum kept the pipe company.

The ork took a few steps back in the small boat and whispered to the old man.
"Is..is that her?"
The old man dumbly both shook and nodded his head for several seconds before managing
"I...probably.? Yeah."
"You don't know?!"
"Didn't think she was...."
The old man had to sit down. He could do nothing save for stare at the immense Rusalka that had emerged up to her thighs from the briny deep. She hadn't noticed them despite their bickering.

She lifted herself onto their island home like she was exiting a pool and glowered at their lighthouse. She made a sound of disapproval in her throat that scattered birds from nearby trees and made the elf tending to the oars grab his groin.

"Ah Gar I can feel that in my cahoneys!"
"SHUT UP. Why didn't you douse the light? I told you to!"
The elf stopped rowing and folded his arms at the ork.
"No, the old man told YOU!"
"And I told you!"
"You're not the boss of me! You douse the light! I row the boat!"

"Don't matter." The old man muttered in a defeated trance. "It don't."
He limply brought their attention back to the immense woman. Her body lit up with strange symbols as she leaned closer and closer to the lighthouse. She gave it one last rueful wince before blowing it out like a birthday candle. The glass around the top shattered into fine pebbles.

She gave a small smile

The oarman managed a nervous laugh.
"Oh. She's happy now. That's good. How we going to explain this to the company?"
"Tell them the truth?"
"Motherfucker I wouldn't believe this and I'm looking at it right now!"
"What choice do we have?"

The forth crew member, largely unnoticed for having no audible opinion on the monster before them finally finished loading his blunderbuss and began screaming.

The ork and the elf argued over who should stop him.
The old man didn't even notice.

He fired.
She noticed.
She turned.

She remained a story.