I will also be posting Chapter 16.5 which is an alternate version of this chapter where squid goes in guns blazing...
Day 9 part 3
I push my jet to the limit in my rage.
“Great Ensuikage?” [Snail lead]
“Sir...” [Snail lead]
“SIR!” [Snail lead]
“You're freezing the region!” [Snail lead]
What? I glance behind me to observe a row of icicles like a miniature mountain range that follows my trail. Above the surface is freezing solid. The sea floor is coated in frost. It is a winter wonderland...
I jet off again, suppressing the rage.
The sea floor drops, we are going deeper.
The pressure increase doesn't cause me any issues; I barely notice. My species is adapted specifically for deep water. The lack of bones makes it easier, in fact.
“We are near.” [Snail lead]
The ship looms on the horizon. It is remarkable how well my eyes work, considering the murk and the light. I spot several sirens milling about around the ship. Up above I spot a few circling shadows, one of which seems to be a small blonde siren riding a sailfish bigger than that huge reef shark... I definitely don't want to be on the receiving end of a charge from that.
Well technically they stopped just on my underside. My real anus is the same place ink comes out... Plus that would feel weird having snails there, weirder than wearing them anyway...
Blend rank up to Erase Presence~
I skim slowly above the sand, not merely imitating the color but the shadows and light behind me as well. This is the next best thing to true invisibility! My shadow is the only real give away I am even here...
I slide past a bulky shark and a school of mutant barracuda.
So far, so good.
Hey is that a ray? A damn electric ray! That is dangerous...
None of these sirens are a match for Yumi, the hairstyles and colors are wrong. The body measurements are also different. So the others were probably selected for their appearance.
I creep into the ship, looking for a sign. This is well maintained for a sunken ship... an outpost perhaps?
I hover hugging the roof and slide around until I find someone.
An old hag siren. She's slaving away at something... oh lunch... the fact she is tenderizing a human corpse leaves me queasy.
I slide deeper. A haughty large breasted siren with shoulder length black hair and a thin red-head siren are arguing. The voluptuous one seems to be anxious.
“...don't care!” [Long hair]
“We're almost done here. Don't worry, we'll have her back to normal soon.” [Red-head]
“Just get it done, as quickly as you can. I can't stand seeing her like this. It makes me want to kill something!” [Long hair]
“She has a lot of resistance to it, if we force it too much she'll end up like the slaves, lacking a will.” [Red-head]
“That is still better than this lukewarm disgrace!” [Long hair]
“Do you want better or my best? You can't have both. Just keep her secure and keep out the riff raff until I'm done. She'll be back to normal soon enough.” [Red-head]
“Fine, just get to work right away.” [Long hair]
“Don't you worry, she'll be drowning sailors and eating their hearts in only a day or two...” [Red-head]
“I was hoping she'd be more able; there's a Grand Fleet passing through this month...” [Long hair]
“Give her time to adjust. Baby steps.” [Red-head]
“Yeah, yeah...”[ Long hair]
I watch the thin one and follow her down into the second mid deck.
I finally see Yumi; she is pale... and I can see the cause. She isn't eating because she is only being served human flesh. She is chained to a heavy oak chair. Her eyes are sunken and she looks exhausted.
“Please, I just want to be as I am. Is that so wrong? I don't want to kill people anymore...” [Yumi]
“You know the answer to that, Highness. For a Siren that is blasphemy.” [Red-head]
“You're going to start whispering to me again aren't you? It won't work!” [Yumi]
“It always works. It just takes some longer than others... and I want to do such a fine job for you.” [Red-head]
The torturer siren turns around as a tiny dart strikes her torso and tries to find the source only to collapse instead.
I release the stealth ability.
“Mr Squid! You're alright! I was afraid they'd go back on their word about...” [Yumi]
“You are big, but not big enough to hide me like you just did. The Royal Guard is here and they aren't pushovers. Leave, before they realize.” [Yumi]
I build up permafrost into a solid dome around us. I place a second cage attached to the side, holding the captured siren. Then I build and layer over and over...
The ship began to buckle and the timbers splinter as my creation grew larger.
I could hear yells and shouts. The damage had alerted someone. As the long-haired siren tried to investigate she was caught by tendrils of ice and caged as well. Sirens really aren't fit to be fighters...
“You'll pay for this you freak!” The black haired siren shouts as she hits the barrier.
She chokes on an ice-ball gag.
Finally I have something complete enough.
With a crash the ship crumbles.
From within this dome I survey the area. I stand forty foot tall. Yes, I made a mecha of permafrost.
Yumi seems impressed. Ball gag siren seems horrified. It adds a nice duality to the scene of my inevitable triumph!
The sailfish tries to penetrate me and the barrier. It does pierce my ice, which surprises me but it has only punctured a foot deep. It is solid transparent ice in the cockpit. The ice is two foot deep here. The arms, legs and head are all solid ice.
The mecha has a smooth design and as it is pure ice, it gleams. It has a golem look to it however...
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Unfortunately I had no time to build weapons.
Fortunately the thing is already one giant weapon.
An arm slams down on the trapped fish and slams it to the sand, minus half a nose.
Little blonde siren scolds it.
“That was pathetic, you didn't even break through that bubble...” [Tiny siren]
She squeals as tendrils of ice catch hold of her, too. I shove her in the cage, with the paralyzed torturer and my new, angry submissive. Siren captured!
The shark tries to ram me next...
A backhanded blow swats the creature. It floats there silently. KO!
“Um, Mr Squid why are you shouting out the names of attacks?” [Yumi]
“...robot? Well if you feel so strongly about it... um...” [Yumi]
The ray is hanging back and hurling electric pulses at us...
Poor, poor ray. I guess I'm your natural enemy. Ice doesn't conduct electricity well at all, especially when it has no impurities. I line up the next attack...
“Certain death, one-hit kill, obliteration punch!!!!” Yumi screams fiercely.
That ray is gone... a distant flash in the sky...
Who would have thought...? Calling out attacks really does increase their power...
The enemies are milling about but they aren't quite able to think of a good strategy...
Not the sixth sense again!
A tanned siren with frizzy hair points at us and a small army of giant crabmen rise up from the bottom, shedding sand and detritus.
They aren't uniform, there are several variations in their species. Worse, they have weapons and tools. I spot mauls made from long bones and a clam, anchor chains with swords jammed in the end links, hatchets carved from scallop shells and at the back spindly spears of narwhal ivory.
Some kind of marine civilization or an evolutionary line.
They spread out immediately, trying to surround and confuse.
“Almighty destroyer spin!” [Yumi]
Wha... not a bad call actually...
I send the massive statue into an unnatural movement, only possible because I can summon a vortex at will using hydrokinesis.
We grind around the landscape sideways, slamming into the outer ring of attackers. It is rough, sending us bouncing around the compartment. The other sirens have all been mixed together by the impact. It would be harder in there, they have less space.
The crabs look shocked, they're pulling back...
“Kunai Taijutsu!” [Snail lead]
Why are you..? Oh well. Why not...?
I hurl the arms at the concentrations out of reach, splitting off dagger sized shards of permafrost around the 'hands'. The spray is deadly.
Fifteen down. Seven to go...
Sparks fly and rocks strike the cockpit, as the crabs with spears turn out to be mages... just my luck.
One rock was lodged in the hole left by the sailfish and others in joints. They're expanding. As I watch cracks form across the view. Permafrost is brittle, even if it is hard.
“Hyuga no Jutsu!” [All cone-shells]
Wait... a glacial attack?! What the heck is that? Oh, never mind just do it anyway...
As we're pelted by rocks and cracking badly, to the glee of the small and frozen tongued siren, I raise the arms of the robot up and construct a mass of ice as huge as I can over several moments... Yes! Now where is that unsinkable ship... oh wait...
Crabpeople... crabpeople... gotta remember them...
The collision of several hundred tons of ice rocks the area. It also mostly shatters my robot... sniff... why do I feel like crying? The whole left side is gone. The cockpit is cracked open like a boiled egg. The cage has fallen, but remains solid, I see squirming arms and locked bodies down there.
We still have legs, cracked by expanding rocks... we have the good right arm.
On a positive note, the crabpeople are simply... gone.
Barracuda swarm incoming!
“Exterminating Slap!” [Yumi]
...well, I can still do a slap...
As one, the mass of fish are belted into the sand.
But behind them... the sailfish is charging again, this time we have no armor!
Oh, what the hell! Lets go out with a bang!
Compressing water between a crack I separate the arm from the torso and launch my massive rocket!
The sailfish moves aside, avoiding it... aw... the acceleration wasn't enough...
“No! World-destroying, hurricane kiiiick!!” [Yumi]
Why am I going along with... eh. Fine. She just wants it more...
Kicking off the ground we spin, using a vortex to lash legs wildly.
We're above the confused fish doing the splits with one leg aimed at the sky!
“Universe-ending, Armageddon Axe Kick!” [All cockpit occupants]
Driving our heel down I force us hard with a current at our back.
“OOOOOOOOOOOH!!!!!!!!!” [All team squid]
The fish is hit! We drive the beast down, crashing on him with all the weight of our broken mecha. The fish flops
The legs crumble and Yumi and I are left floating in open water. I think I feel tears... which is impossible...
“Manga.” [Team squid]
That exists here?! How do I not know this?
Hey, the black haired siren must have cracked her head open. She's laughing like some kind of stereotypical villain... wait, did she actually swallow a ball of permafrost?
“Ohohohohoh...” She laughs “It is over for you. Surrender Yumi or we will use our full force!”
Wait... I shouldn't have said that...
She whistles.
Ohno, ohno!
The sixth sense is going off the charts...
A shadow descends, blocking out the daylight.
I'm petrified by the sight...
“Squiiiiidddd!” a sperm whale big enough to give Ahab a heart attack cries with delight.
… crap.
What we learned in this chapter:
Yumi and co. read too much battle manga...
The robot was too cool to survive.
If this were a dating sim the cage would be ground zero for the MC.
It almost sounds like Naga the Serpent reincarnated too... (reference: Slayers)