The Tale of a Hybrid and a Siren (old version)

Return to the Cove

It was frantic his speed was uncanny to others now. The greave armor has increased Vaeludar's speed, not his strength. Now he can be anywhere he wanted to be in a matter of seconds. He thought to going to the village, but there was still the final armor artifact. The first was to his wrist, and the second was to his leg, and the third was likely a helmet or for his chest.

There wasn't anything he must wait for, but Marina was having the augur to not go forth to Siren's Cove. Yet, it was part of her past, and she needed to let go of the past. For some nights while at Geraldus's village, Marina had nightmares of her home, fearing her kin will come and eat her instead.

Those dreams she had every night or so she must rid herself, by confronting the sirens themselves, to tell them she was not a runt as they were, and she found someone she loved. Marina decided to be carried by Vaeludar when they and the elf launched toward the Siren's Cove, but Alfhild insisted of them going ahead and she'll catch up.

They were on the western side of Shimabellia, and Siren's Cove was at the shores of the far southern coasts. There was no telling how long it be may if the elf had to drag Vaeludar behind his tail. Now that his speed has been accelerated, he departed with Marina and carried her with him.

In the air, Marina sighed she was going back, and she seemed afraid of going back, but she had Vaeludar with her.

In flight, he stopped for a moment. "Are you afraid?" He hugged her tighter close to his chest, holding by her backside and gripping her legs in both hands. "Going to the place you never wanted to return?"

"Yes," Marina answered sternly. "But my future is with you now. If I can't face my past against them, then I can't turn to face the future." Her eyes weren't looking in his eyes, as it was a sign, she was incredibly afraid. Even if the hybrid was with her, she couldn't pull herself to find to let loose of her past: Siren's Cove.

"And you won't be alone. We go there, I fight whatever beast is in my way, and I'll retrieve the final artifact. Ready enough to face against a madman and a ghostly Titan. They'll regret ever coming to this planet."

Vaeludar resumed his flying. The ground he saw below was rimming faster, and he can rise higher than he could ever could. A long distance from the ground where the air lacked in the oxygen mortals need to breath, but he can withstand long hours or maybe days without breathing.

Marina could see what how high Vaeludar was, but he started to shrink from the altitude. He was high and he dipped lower when the southern coasts were coming into view.

The southern coasts were full of high cliffs and rugged ridges. Few limestone walls carved in narrow arches leaning from the lower walls standing from the ocean's bottom reefs. Majestic in shape, and dangerous to climb alone. Cold and damp with small amounts of mud, it made climbing impossible unless one had wings like Vaeludar.

Marina saw everything coming into view of her old home. Shipwrecks near the piled on nearby rocks, ships sunk nearly halfway in the nearby waves. A gravesite where sailors lost their lives and bodies to the sirens' teeth. She wondered how Vaeludar would fare against a siren's voice.

He may have extreme power, but he may fall prey to all sailors who did. Even the strong-willed sailors couldn't survive a siren's deceiving charm. Vaeludar gradually descended toward the lower walls to find the only entrance into Siren's Cove, and Marina guided his way.

First, they flew over the open ocean. Many ships of all kinds, trading ships and warships, laid buried beneath the waves in heavy wrecks and other ships that crashed on their starboard side. Few ships remained standing above to see a whole ship intact with broken sails and holes lost to the decay of time.