CHAPTER 30 - GAID'S REVENGE
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The seas were growing increasingly agitated, the waves crashing against the boat seemed to scream their impatience. The small vessel rocked up and down, as if dancing to the rhythm of the hidden forces beneath the sea. The wind, a trusted companion of this imminent challenge, howled and hissed through the sails, eager to participate in the upcoming adventure.
The sun shone high in the sky, a sphere of radiant warmth with not a single cloud to obscure its light. Its golden rays danced on the surface of the water, creating sparkling reflections that seemed to invite the grand battle about to unfold.
The pirates were all positioned in a circle, holding Natirra captive.
«“What did you say?”» she asked, almost amused by Gaid's assertion.
«“I said I’ll cut off your tail! Let’s start this damn fight!”» With a hint of bravado, The Siren followed Gaid's order.
«“With pleasure.”» Finally, she stopped sitting, rising her body with her powerful tail, moving forward and plunging her sharp hooks into the wooden floor of the ship.
«“Do you see these? You’ll feel them on your skin soon enough. The first blow goes to you, Agnates.”» Hearing the challenge, Gaid lunged furiously toward the immobile Siren.
«“I’ll kill you!”» When he arrived, he aimed with his horn, like a bull ready to pierce the Siren, who, upon his immediate arrival, finally moved, detaching her hooks from the floor with surprising speed and, belly up, showed Gaid her tail, delivering a violent slap that sent him crashing onto his back.
«“Is this the best you can do, Gaid?”» She repositioned herself in a formal pose, while Gaid, furious, got back up, ready to throw more blows. «“Now it’s my turn,”» murmured The Siren.
Quickly, using only her hooks and her tail, which she used for momentum off the ground, she approached with long, wide leaps. She jumped using her tail and properly anchored herself to the ground with the strength of her hooks, rapidly reaching Gaid's position as he prepared to counterattack.
«“Ready for a headbutt?!”» he said before loading a pressurized water blast he had saved as a final strike for The Siren, but before he could hit her or even throw the attack, he felt the touch of The Siren's tail around his legs. «“Of course, Agnates, of course.”»
«“Ugh! C-co-”» Before he could finish realizing the situation, The Siren tightened her tail, which had wrapped around Gaid’s legs like a venomous serpent, then lifted him into the air and slammed him repeatedly onto the deck of the ship.
«“You need to do better than this if you plan to survive!”» announced The Siren, her face and tone proud and amused, a blend of complex and constant happiness mixed with bizarre sadism. After a few blows, she threw the poor narwhal away from her. Gaid, with great effort, got up once more, this time with a clear wound on his leg. «“Damn you… You’re just lucky.”»
«“Think what you want, Agnates, but it doesn’t change who of us has more luck. In any case, you’re still disappointing me; it’s clear you don’t fight like your father.”» Gaid, refusing to accept such an insult repeated by the Siren to tease him, sprang toward The Siren, ready to launch another attack. The Siren positioned her tail as yet another defense, but Gaid, in an unexpected move, dodged the imminent slap, scratching The Siren’s tail in the process. «“Ouch! Stubby Horn…!”»
«“Take this, Fishmonger!”» Before he could celebrate, he was grabbed by The Siren's tail, which lifted him into the air once again.
«“You’re not the only one who knows how to scratch, Agnates.”» The Siren, now lying on the floor and holding Gaid in the air, swiftly thrust her two hooks through his body in one single, diagonal blow, causing a bleeding wound on him and, yet again, throwing him back to the ground. This time, Gaid remained trembling on the floor before rising once more.
Natirra stood there, immobile and stunned, in front of The Siren's incredible abilities. She was stronger than any fighter she had ever seen in my life. Her strikes were incredibly powerful, leaving her breathless. Despite her lack of arms and legs, her coordination was astounding. Her tail seemed to be a perfect instrument for delivering devastating blows, perhaps even stronger than any human fist. Moreover, that tail also served as a shield, protecting her from counterattacks.
However, Natirra couldn’t help but feel the visceral anxiety that engulfed her at that moment. Her only hope was that Gaid would manage to recover. They both knew that if they lost this challenge, they would be condemned to a horrible death at the bottom of the sea, devoured by the seaweed of the abyss. They could not afford to lose, and Gaid knew it well. Despite the wounds he had sustained, he covered the main injury and managed to gather his strength to utter more threats to The Siren.
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«“T-... this is just a warm-up. When I get my hands on you, you’ll pay…”»
«“You have courage, Agnates. But it doesn’t seem like the wind is blowing in your favor; you should reconsider your chances of victory, don’t you think?”» The Siren continued to retort, her tone embodying certain victory and her pride in achieving it. At that point, it was no longer a fight; she was simply having fun. «“I’ll never surrender, not with you, Roynel. Not with you.”»
«“You still burn, don’t you? I can understand, but it’s not my fault; we’re pirates, that’s what pirates do, don’t you think?”»
«“You’ve taken what was most dear to me, and I won’t allow such a great offense to be dealt to a member of the Agnates family; no Agnates accepts defeat, nor even insults! All your pirates share this crime! I’ll kill all of you!”»
«“Clear enough, Stubby Horn. But you should accept my mercy. Are you still planning to continue fighting? Or do you want to end it, and we can move to the part where you surrender?”» Gaid, determined and ignoring The Siren’s question, decided to make one last desperate attempt to attack her.
With a determined run, he reached The Siren and prepared to fight. He launched a series of blows, primarily using his horn as a weapon. The Siren, with surprising agility, managed to dodge all his attacks, and in response, landed a direct hit to his stomach that sent the brave fighter reeling back.
Despite the near-fatal injuries he had sustained, Gaid did not back down in the face of imminent defeat.
This time, Gaid managed to stay on his feet, quickly recovering from the blow. But a few seconds later, he was hit by a direct slap to the nose, causing a cascade of blood to pour from his face and forcing him to kneel. The Siren was demonstrating overwhelming superiority, and hope seemed to fade slowly as Gaid struggled to remain standing.
«“You’re pathetic,”» The Siren pronounced, pride oozing from her being. «“No member of my crew has ever managed to defeat me, and you think you’re different? I’ve fought for the seas of Black Island since I was young; I swam across the entire Dull Ocean. And I even survived Black Island itself. I don’t even need legs to defeat you.”»
«“It d-doesn’t c-ch-”»
«“What? What would you like to tell me, Stubby Horn? Do you still have the energy to insult me after the humiliation I’ve caused you?”»
«“N-no…”» Gaid stuttered from the pain, but he spat out his next statement with the utmost confidence. «“It doesn’t change the fact that you’re just a filthy pirate, without respect or dignity!”»
«“You’ve got guts, I’ll admit that. But that’s all you have; I don’t see any strength in you, and that’s fine; I see you don’t give up. That’s respectable, I can’t deny it. I suppose I can have a little more fun before I kill you and end this party, okay?”» Gaid, once again, with devastating effort, got back up, ready for battle, trembling in a fighting stance.
«“But it’s not fun to fight a corpse. So, I suppose I’ll put another player in the match.”» Before she could continue, Gaid lunged at her in a miserable attempt to hit.
«“And move aside.”» She told him, before striking him with her tail, sending him crashing back to the ground.
«“I’m giving you a chance to survive, and you throw it away? Stay still while I choose your snack buddy.”» The Siren’s gaze fell on poor Natirra, who, watching the fight, had enough evidence to understand that she had made a grave mistake and that she would probably die. She felt sweat running down her forehead as she desperately tried not to let her anxiety show. The weight of responsibility that would fall on her if she were defeated would be overwhelming. If Gaid had ended up like this, it would be even worse for her.
The Siren smiled sinisterly, with Gaid, her companion, behind her in terrible condition. He had been reduced to a state where he could not even get up to fight, and this sight was sad and desolate for anyone who was an outsider to the situation. Natirra, deep in her mind, tried to sort out her thoughts and fears, but it was useless; her legs felt weak already. The Siren had the power to decide who would live and who would die, and that moment of uncertainty seemed to last an eternity. She hoped that somehow fate would smile upon them and that they could escape the terrible fate looming over narwhals trapped in her jurisdiction.
Suddenly, with growing terror, she saw the Siren pointing straight at her. Her mind filled with anguish, fearing that she would have to fight for her life. Deep down, she knew it would go this way.
«"Free the girl,"» she said with a malicious surprise in her voice. «"I saw her arguing with Agnates. They must be friends, and friends help each other in battle, right?"»
The announcement of her "liberation" felt like a sudden brick hit to her poor head; thus, the fate of Gaid and her truly rested on her, she thought, she could no longer afford mistakes. Today… Today she could die, no… Today she would probably die alongside Gaid.
The pirate hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react to the Siren's request. It was clear she was trying to exploit some possible bond between her and Agnates for her own ends. She wanted to have a bit of fun without any real risk. Still trembling with fear, she struggled to maintain a calm and composed expression.
«“Go on, assist your battle companion, what are you waiting for? I’ll even give you a moment; thank my generosity, I don’t offer it to everyone.”» She walked quickly toward Gaid, knowing she had nothing to do but at least try to help, and so she did.
She approached his body, lying on the ground, trying to get up. «“G-gaig.. Gaid!”» The Siren watched with sadistic pleasure the tragic scene.
«“Gaid… Gaid, we’re going to die!”» She said, terror in her eyes. But before she could panic, she heard him whisper something audible only to her. «“L-listen to me... I have... I have a p-p-plan.”» «“W-what plan?”» She was curious; this was their last chance. If Gaid had even the slightest idea for a plan, it could save them.
«“D..-Distract the Siren, I..-I have an idea...”»