Bounty Hunter Bash Sea Lock Part Four

 Mermaid And Syrens

It had been a day since the pirate attack when Captain Herlock came into Gerald's office, where Bash and Chashathrophogh were helping him organise his paperwork.

"Look alive lady 'n' gents! We're about to enter Deathby Sea as there's a terrible storm on our usual route!"

At this Gerald's eyes lit up with an ambitiousness that they had not seen before.

"Oh my, my! Deathby Sea eh? Last I remember, that's mermaid and syren territory! Yet that's just a start!" Cerpheres purred from behind.

"Cerpheres!" Snapped Captain Herlock and Gerald.

He shrugged.

"Honestly, why don't I kill you?"

"You won't get paid!" Captain Herlock said. "Speaking of which, you won't get paid if you keep it up!"

He giggled.

"Scary!"

"Cerpheres!"

He shrugged.

"Don't worry I'll keep them calm!"

"Yeah, 'n' don't drug them this time!"

"But it did the trick didn't it?"

He then threw a creepy smile at Bash and Chashathrophogh and both could have sworn that he gave them a wink.

"Cerpheres! Could ye do what the captain says?"

He then shrugged.

"Don't worry I will!"

"But I think that drugging the passengers would be a good idea. After all, we all know how dangerous a syren's song is,  and we don't want any of the passengers throwing themselves overboard!" Bash suggested.

At this Cerpheres clapped.

"You see!"

Captain Herlock rolled his eyes.

"I agree with the girl on this one. If you do not put them all to sleep, you will lose passengers faster that way even if you put wax in their ears." Chashathrophogh said yet at the same time he refrained from saying something else.

"Alright,  you can do it just this once. Just ensure that there are no laying side effects."

His smile widened.

"I won't!"

"Now go!"

"Yes Sir!" He sang as he left.

"Honestly Gerald, how do you control that guy?"

"I 'ave me methods." He said. "Now are you two, are you any good at fighting mermaids and syrens?" 

"Should be."

"Good! Then I think they ought to get on deck."

"Good thinking, then I will get their weapons."

"Alright Sir, although I don't think that this should come cheap. We expect to be paid for this." 

"Sure, now come on."

They followed the captain to his office and gave them their weapons and they were soon back on deck.

"Are you not going to plug your ears?"

"No, we need all our senses."

Yet as they arrived on deck they could not help but have the feeling that they were being watched. Yet they could not focus on that as they waited for the ship to enter mermaid waters. They first heard the singing of the mermaids. Yet it was too far away to hear the words,  their singing was enhancing but overly so.

"Girl,  keep focusing on the battle ahead and do not let it waver, after all, if your will is stronger than their songs then you will not be enchanted." He instructed.

She nodded.

"I think that we ought to use magic in this one."

He nodded. They both walked to the edges of the ship and looked down. They soon saw the first mermaid. She looked up and smiled. She tried not to focus on her humanlike form and closed her eyes. She focused on the water and the temperature of the water and already knew the best way for victory. Yet she still did not want to kill them, so even though she willed the water to heat up, it only remained warm. She then opened her eyes to see this. Yet she spotted a mermaid shoot a trident at them. So she loaded the arrow and shot her. She then had to dive back to dodge the trident and landed with a thud. 

That was when she heard it, the most beautiful and breathtaking melody. It was so melancholic that she felt like her heart and soul were crying. She wanted to go to the origin of the don't and comfort the one that was singing the don't. She wanted to make it stop too as she could not stand it. She felt tears fall from her eyes as her heart was gripped with this strange sorrow. She could feel herself getting up and her hands rested on the edges. She was about to jump in until she felt someone hit her and she suddenly snapped out of it.

"What did I say!?"

"I know!"

He looked down and looked deathly pale.

"What?"

"There are more on your side than mine." He said as he turned to her. "Then we need to do this together. So do not waver."

She nodded. They concentrated on the water. They made it hotter and hotter. Then the water soon started to boil and soon the bodies of the mermaids rose to the top mermen too. Yet, even though they had survived the mermaid waters they soon came to the hard part; the syrens. As the singing of the mermaids silenced both could not afford to key their guard down.

"Girl,  I will warm you, the song of a syren is far more powerful than their cousins."

"Right. By the way, I heard that their songs carry wisdom to those who hear it. Is this true?"

"In a manner of speaking. After all their songs do contain truth within them yet it's more of a prophetic truth."

"Then if I fall under their spell, stop me."

"I will. But do not think that I won't punish you for it."

She let out a laugh as she heard the song. She spoon felt was she did when hearing the mermaid song yet this was stronger and it took all her will to resist.

"Beware the Captain Prince

That is more deadlier than thee

Lying words in truth he mince

Leading to the death of thine three

On this voyage soever dark

Our mother sea he uses as his first kill

Where more of us doth lark

Leading to a disappointment not thrill

His hunger and thirst will rise

As his second kill will see

A finger will expose his lies

And he will slumber bruitaly

The last will die at the voyage and crew's end

On the great island made of only coral

Killed by enemy who came as friend

Exposing the truth and lack of moral!"

Before the syren could start her next verse Bounty Hunter Bash loaded her bow and shot the first syren. She saw another open her mouth and she fired another shot. She then turned to Chashathrophogh with a plan.

"You boil the water, I fire the arrows!"

"Look who's giving orders!"

"Only logical ones! After all, you've got more experience in magic!"

He chuckled and nodded. He then looked down and then directed his magic to the water and noticed a syren about to dive out of the water. Bash quickly noticed her and fired and she fell back in the water. She then noticed another and fired again. She then felt the ship rocking back and forth. She looked down to see the many webbed hands of the syrens on the hull of the ship. She then willed the hull of the ship to have a thin layer of ice to cover the hull of the ship. This caused her to feel slightly weaker and the syrens to retract. She bent over as she panted and as she looked up she saw a syren in the air. She threw herself back and loaded her arrow. She then let it go and she fell.

That was when the screeching of the syrens rose to ear piercing levels as the water boiled they all dived back and some died as they swam away. They then turned to the other side to see that they were already dead!

"What happened?"

"I didn't do that!"

"Admiring my work?"

"Cerpheres!?"

He shrugged.

"What? I got bored watching all those sleeping passengers!"