CHAPTER 29 - THE SIREN
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The sailors and pirates on the ship stopped fighting, as if they had been caught in a spell that paralyzed them in anticipation of the surreal event unfolding before their eyes. It seemed as though the entire world had come to a halt, as if reality itself was suspended in time, waiting for the fate that was about to be revealed.
From the water, with superhuman speed, emerged a powerful feminine figure, almost like a divine entity descended from the sky. Her presence had an aura of majesty and mystery that left everyone breathless. With a series of astounding acrobatics, she launched herself toward the center of the ship, her impressive strength causing the vessel to sway like a feather in the wind. Her descent was so remarkable that it seemed she was defying the very laws of physics.
As the extraordinary event unfolded, the band of pirates instinctively aligned themselves with this enigmatic figure, clearly revealing her identity as their captain, and they seemed ready to follow her into whatever adventure presented itself.
Meanwhile, Natirra barely had time to analyze this mysterious figure when a heavy, aggressive step echoed behind her. She turned and saw Gaid, fists clenched and eyes sparkling with rage. He uttered a name in a tone that immediately revealed the identity of that divine figure.
«"Roynel..."»
«“They call me The Siren. How many times do I have to tell you, stubby horn?”»
Before Natirra stood that bizarre figure, which she could finally observe more clearly. A tall, slender woman of middle age, with long, wavy, and at that moment wet white hair, tied back in a ponytail. After a moment, the woman pushed her hair from her forehead, her blue eyes, like those of the sea, sparkling. One of her eyes was perpetually covered by her hair, despite her many attempts to move it.
Natirra stood there, almost bewildered by this figure; it was so peculiar. She had both hands mutilated and replaced by hooks, and both legs equally mutilated and covered in bandages, holding herself up solely with the strength of her tail—a rarity among them, the tail seemed to have developed a surreal strength. Indeed, ignoring the obvious differences, Natirra could understand why she was nicknamed "The Siren."
«“Don’t call me that! So you hide in the water! You’re a coward!”»
«“You have guts, such a bold face.”» The Siren said, then, completely ignoring her surroundings, sat down, using her tail as support for her nonexistent legs, scratching it with one of the hooks, she spoke like a grandmother lecturing her grandchildren.
«“First, I destroy your island and let you live, and after my generosity, you dare come back. The curious cat dies, you know?”»
«“I was alone and a child before, but now I’ve changed, I’m stronger. I’ll make sure to kill you with my own hands!”» Gaid seemed filled with passion, while Natirra watched curiously; it seemed this was a rivalry that had been brewing for a long time. But she wondered where such a bizarre-looking person could have come from. Needless to say, asking would lead to trouble, but she almost hoped this encounter could bring some luck to both of them. Still, she knew from previous events that having the captain of a crew you were fighting with you never helped.
«“You’re still two flies against a crew of pirates, but…”» She glanced at one of the pirate corpses pierced by Gaid, lying still on the floor with a hole in his chest. «“You’re not too bad; you don’t blow bubbles like a baby anymore, huh?”»
«“I’ll give you a taste if you’d like.”»
«“Don’t get too full of yourself, kid; I live in the water. I’ve tasted pressure stronger than any miserable ray you can throw at me.”» The Siren, who it was now clear was the captain of the crew, turned to her own crew.
«“You haven’t cleaned up at all, have you?”» She said, pointing at the pirate who, from what she understood, managed the others when the captain wasn’t there. He, with a nervous look on his face, replied.
«“C-Captain R-Roynel... they’re really strong, the sail—”» Immediately, the body of that poor narwhal was surrounded by the Siren’s tail, which she leaned against, and after some circus-like antics, she violently slammed him to the ground.
«“I said The Siren! The Siren! Call me The Siren! You bunch of idiots, what kind of pirates are you? Where’s your honor? You’re not narwhals at all! You can’t even get rid of these two rascals; shame!”»
After throwing him, he got up with terror on his face. «"I’m sorry, Siren! I’m sorry! We’ll make sure to get them off the ship,"» pleaded one of the sailors, trembling in his voice. The Siren, as if she were the queen of the seas, pointed her long trident—that is, her tail—at the crew, her gaze filled with rage and a desire for revenge.
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«"Take and capture all those brats,"» she ordered violently, «"and leave Stubby Horn to me! I want to have some fun with that touchy sea fish! And don’t disappoint me, or I’ll cut off each of your tails!"»
The moment her words echoed in the salty air, the men on board the pirate ship responded in unison with a terrified sneer: «"At your command!"»
The pirates, now furious and determined to please their fearsome captain, charged toward the crew with fierce energy and in greater numbers than before. Their heavy footsteps echoed on the deck of the ship as they brandished sharp spears, ready to skewer that poor duo like shish kebabs. The air thickened with tension, and the sound of clashing blades resonated as the two groups faced off in a ruthless struggle for survival.
Natirra, needless to say, was in a panic, and this time fear took precedence over any other emotion. She had no way to defend herself, and the only option left was to flee. She began to run desperately across the ship, her legs shaking as she tried to distance herself from the rapidly approaching pirates. But soon she realized that fleeing was futile.
She looked back and saw those determined pirates getting closer and closer, their fury and anger fueled by the ruthless captain commanding them, not letting up in their fight.
One of the pirates grabbed her by the arm, holding her tightly. Then, with a defiant look, he took her as a hostage.
As the battle raged around her, Natirra found herself there, powerless and at the mercy of the pirates who had shown they were willing to do anything to get their revenge. The situation seemed hopeless; organizing an escape for two wasn’t particularly helpful, and it was already surprising that the two had managed to get as far as they had.
The only one not yet captured was Gaid, who, with force, was positioned in a circle of big pirates, with only The Siren sitting there as a spectator the whole time, directly observing him.
Natirra realized at that moment that whatever was between the two, it needed to be resolved immediately. Or at least, The Siren demanded it be resolved immediately.
Gaid stepped forward, seeing himself surrounded by pirates; he was the only one who could do something, and he realized it immediately. He turned directly toward The Siren, in the same position as before the fight, and shouted loudly.
«“Aren’t you ever satisfied?! I’ll get my revenge for this! For what you did!”» The Siren did not react in any way; instead, maintaining an expression somewhere between playful and formal, she replied with a big smile.
«“Sure, do as you wish. I have an idea; since you’re so fixated on your revenge, let’s make a deal?”»
«“I’ll never make a deal with you! You’re disgusting, a disgusting being, and I hate you with every fragment of my heart. I’ll never agree with a person like you, I’ll never agree with any pirate roaming the seas of Black Island!”» Despite the immediate refusal, The Siren continued with her idea, which she probably had in mind from the beginning of the battle. «“Let’s do this: since we’re already in the mood for fighting, and today I’ve done nothing but roam the seas, I can say I’m bored. Let’s fight, okay? That’s what you wanted, right?”» Everything paused for a second, and Gaid, to his surprise, calmed down, but still maintained a rude and direct tone.
«“Shoot quickly; I want to know what you’re planning. And don’t smile at me. I’ll break your teeth!”»
«“You’re quite rude; I wonder why I saved you… Oh well, I suppose I’ll fix my mistake today. Listen to me, I offer you a challenge between the two of us, no games, no tricks, pure strength. That’s what you wanted, right?”»
After a brief pause, it became clear that Gaid had indeed accepted, even if not explicitly; he could not and did not have the chance to refuse something like that—he was forced.
«“If you win the challenge and kill me, my crew will have the right to take you wherever you want. If you lose the challenge, I’ll cut off your arms and legs and throw you into the sea…”»
The situation was deteriorating, and Natirra suddenly felt more anxious from that last threat. However, she was trapped among the pirates.
The Siren smiled. Her smile was not one of joy or kindness, but rather an enigmatic one, a smile that reflected her power and dominance over that moment. It was as if The Siren was in harmony with darkness itself, as if she were its undisputed queen. Her penetrating gaze shone into the souls of all of us, even her crewmates, and as the world around her enveloped in darkness, she seemed to flourish in that unsettling context.
Gaid took a few steps back, he was pondering what to do in that situation, but it was too late to give up, and he couldn’t, in any case. After all, it was an opportunity he had been given, and however absurd, one that could not be let slip away.
«“How can I trust you? How can I trust your men? They’ll surely avenge their captain; I’ve seen how loyal they are to you!”»
But something, which Natirra mainly noticed, was apparent in those pirates. For some reason… they were not so convinced; some had fearful looks on their faces, for some reason, they seemed to hold an irrational fear perpetrated in them.
«“I’ll make sure they don’t do anything to you; in the meantime, if they are loyal, they will know how to follow an order, won’t they? Gaid, You’re afraid to fight; I see you’re scared, Stubby Horn.”» Gaid was scared, though not exactly terrified; it was more a deep hesitation, but the words that followed seemed to awaken something in him.
«“You better be stronger than your father, Agnates; I expect not to be disappointed, and that’s what you’re doing now—disappointing me. Your father truly had more courage, or at least, he put on more of a fight. You wouldn’t know that though.”»
With an almost colossal silence, a silence so deep that not even the crew dared to utter a single word, Gaid took an audacious and determined step. His movement was more aggressive than any other step he had ever taken. With a serious and focused expression, he stared directly into The Siren's eyes, peering deep into the abyss of her gaze.
«“I’ll cut off your tail, Roynel, I swear on the bandana of every pirate.”»