Small Village Tridente Chapter 24

Here you go, We barely managed to sc.r.a.pe this one out with all of us pooling our efforts.
I can't imagine living in a world where no1 lends a hand to that starving kid in Africa or that sad pupper on TV while In the arms of an Angel plays, But I do. It can't be helped I bet no1 even reads these things, they just look for new content to read. You can't blame them. I can't blame YOU.

But I do.

Small Village Tridente – Chapter 024

rawr:

July – August, 2XX7

Siren's Song

We had no knowledge about the sea area, so we decided to gather information on the internet.

In each area of the ocean, there are monsters placed that will routinely sink s.h.i.+ps. There had been quite a bit of information posted on the boards about giant sharks and squids attacking s.h.i.+ps that happened to pa.s.s by.

However, there weren't any sightings of the siren. It seems that they all lose consciousness due to the singing voice and their s.h.i.+p is sunk before they see its appearance. Although I said that they lose consciousness, it's not that it influences the consciousness of their real body. It's just that their player character's vision is taken away and it becomes pitch black… just that.

「Hmm. I wonder, what does the rumored siren look like?」

「Maybe it's similar to its appearance in myths… it has the upper body of a human but the lower body of a bird or a fish?」

Originally, the siren was said to have the lower body of a bird and was treated like an eerie bird, but at some point in time it became similar to a mermaid and it was said to have the lower body of a fish or something like that.

「I'm with the fish group. And you, Mari?」

「Me? Hmm… both look ominous so it's scary either way, you know. But I wonder which is more popular, right?」

「They're mostly drawn as birds in j.a.pan. I don't know about overseas but in the western games I've played before, the siren's lower bodies were that of fish.」

Whatever its appearance may be, first we need to prepare countermeasures for the siren's singing. Since because of that singing hundreds of s.h.i.+ps are being sunk.

At the harbour on the coast, there were one small-sized s.h.i.+p and one large-sized s.h.i.+p anch.o.r.ed. The small-sized s.h.i.+p was our s.h.i.+p, 【Tridente】's s.h.i.+p, and the large-sized s.h.i.+p was 【Cyber Fish】's s.h.i.+p.

「Are you really coming with us? It's also our first time so we won't be responsible if you're sunk, you know…」

The people from Cyber Fish had their s.h.i.+ps sunk many times and they ended up making one again. They seem to have used up their stock of materials with the current s.h.i.+p. But I wonder if they said they would cooperate because of the case with the raging wolf.

「Is all good. Even we might be helpful in some way!」

18 people from Cyber Fish formed an alliance, the three of us from Tridente formed a party, and then we boarded our respective s.h.i.+ps.

「So we're finally departing to sea. It's exciting.」

Even though we live near the sea in the real world, we don't have many opportunities to ride a s.h.i.+p, so even if it's in a game going sailing is exciting.

「If you speak of the sea, then it's fis.h.i.+ng. Mari, did you bring your fis.h.i.+ng rod?」

「Yeah!」

Saya and I brought out our fis.h.i.+ng rods and promptly dangled the fis.h.i.+ng lines.

「You two, you sure are full of motivation to play…」

「Even though you say that, you also brought one didn't you, Rin?」

「Fufun」, the president laughed through her nose as she took out her fis.h.i.+ng rod.

「Of course I did. Today I came prepared in order to catch a tuna!」

「Well, even if you put that much spirit into it… it's just to pa.s.s the time until we encounter the siren, you know.」

After a while of being out in the open sea, we were called by the people from Cyber Fish's s.h.i.+p.

「Everyone from Tridente~! We're at the point where we're highly likely to encounter the siren!」

Hearing that, we hastily put away our fis.h.i.+ng rods and prepared ourselves for the encounter with the siren.

We readied our weapons, used 【Tridente Style Stir-fried Vegetables】 to raise our stats, and the president also cast support magic on us, bringing us to perfect condition.

「gulp…」

「It's not coming!!!」

After 2 minutes, Saya who'd been waiting motionlessly ran out of patience and shouted.

「W-well, we just said we'd very likely encounter the siren, not that we'll definitely encounter it.」

「What~, so I was nervous for nothing.」

「Well, a s.h.i.+p that's crossed the ocean doesn't exist yet, so I think we'll definitely encounter it if we keep going.」

Losing all tension, Saya and the president lowered their guards, but immediately after the singing voice resounded.

「Saya!!!」

I hadn't lowered my guard and immediately shouted as the signal. Saya activated her skill right away.

「Protect us 【Aegis】!」

Saya's Nos. skill activated and the attack from the voice that came out of nowhere was completely shut down. The skill covered the three of us from Tridente.

「Cyber Fish is…」

When I looked at Cyber Fish's s.h.i.+p, all of the players riding the s.h.i.+p were unsteady on their feet as they collapsed.

The owner of the voice, aiming for that chance, slowly flew down, revealing their appearance.

A human…?

No, she's not.

Both her upper and lower body are certainly the same as a human's.

However, wings for the sake of flying in the open skies, were firmly present on her back.

「Is it… the siren?」

The winged human landed on Cyber Fish's s.h.i.+p and turned towards us, a suggestive and charming grin on her face.

『Hee~. It's surprising to think that there's people who are safe from hearing my voice.』

S-she talked!?

Just now, with human words she…

「Do you understand our words?」

『What? Is it strange that I can talk? More importantly, why are you lot not sleeping?』

「It's the effect of the absolute defense skill, 【Aegis】. It invalidates all kinds of attacks… it looks like your singing voice isn't an exception, Siren.」

『Siren… Are you talking about me?』

「That was my intention, but do you have any other names?」

Not recognizing herself as the siren, she tilted her head to the side and asked in return. I wonder if its official name is different? I used the 【Clairvoyance】 skill and checked the target's status.

Unknown

HP ???

Weakness ???

Resistance ???

Unknown…

An unknown monster is… no, if it's a boss cla.s.s monster then it might be possible.

However, clairvoyance worked normally on both Death Scythe Mantis and Raging Wolf. Maybe she's also treated differently from a rare monster…

『My name is Hibiki. It isn't Siren, okay.』

The girl denied being a siren and introduced herself as Hibiki.

The wings on her back, and the fact that she sinks s.h.i.+ps using her enchanting voice, those are the very things that define a siren, however… exchanging words like this, it's almost as if we're talking to a real human.

「Hibiki-chan, why do you sink s.h.i.+ps…?」

『It's because this place is my territory, you know. I can't just let people who trespa.s.s get away, right?』

Hmm, her way of thinking is pretty wild. I wonder if her setting is that she sinks all the s.h.i.+ps that invade a certain area, no questions asked?

『You probably won't fall asleep like the other guys, but anyways, everything you have, leave it and die!』

Saying that, Hibiki flapped her wings and flew up high into the sky. Her own feathers, one by one, she used them as projectiles aimed and fired towards us.

『If you're not going to sleep then I'll make you faint! 【Saint's Wing】』

HIBIKI USED 【Saint's Wing】

→MARI RECEIVED 244 TOTAL DAMAGE

→RIN RECEIVED 250 TOTAL DAMAGE

→SAYA RECEIVED 130 TOTAL DAMAGE

The sharp feathers rushed towards us like a countless number of arrows and we received damage. It's an attack similar to the 【Scatter Shot】 that I like using.

「If we can talk with each other then, I thought, but in the end we have to defeat her.」

Saya used 【Provoke】, trying to direct Hibiki's attacks towards herself. However, Hibiki ignored Saya's provocation and launched attacks towards the president who was casting healing magic.

「Wh…! Why is she ignoring provoke's effect and attacking me!?」

Provoke has no effect…?

Like I thought, she's different from a normal monster!

HIBIKI USED 【Swallow Skydive/飛燕痕】 → RIN RECEIVED 488 DAMAGE

(9: If anyone can read kanji and think of a better name, tell me.)

Hibiki took advantage of her ability to fly and used hit-and-run tactics as she returned to the skies, but I fired an arrow towards the soaring Hibiki.

MARI ATTACKED → HIBIKI RECEIVED 450 DAMAGE

Hibiki lowered her guard and didn't notice the arrow coming from below. It splendidly hit her and she staggered.

『nng~! So there's a bow user. How annoying.』

As she said that, Hibiki flew even higher. She soared in order to take more distance from us.

The president used magic and I shot with my bow, but because she'd flown so high up, our attacks didn't reach her.

「That is cheating I say!」

「To think that neither a bow nor magic can reach…」

『Ahaha! A creature without wings is obviously not a match for me~』

Hibiki stuck a pose as if to provoke us and laughed.

It's p.i.s.sing me off!

Even if we don't have wings, I'll show you our potential to rise!

「Saya, President! If we can't fly, then let's climb up!」

Saying that, I opened the craft menu and crafted stairs, steadily extending out towards the skies.

Saya and the president saw that and with an 「I see.」, nodded and followed after me.

The three of us piled up the stairs with a nice tempo and, before long, finally reached the same height as Hibiki. From there, I crafted a floor, creating a scaffold in mid-air.

「How about that? Even if don't have wings, our point of view is the same, Hibiki!」

『Haa!? Is that even allowed!?』

She probably didn't even imagine that we would climb up to the skies. Hibiki hurriedly took a battle stance and launched a suicide attack, but Saya immediately stood before us as our s.h.i.+eld. Using that opportunity, the president and I launched our attacks.

Hibiki, having her territory the skies taken control of, panicked and lost her path of escape. My scatter shot and silent arrow, and furthermore the president's magic, hit her one after another until Hibiki barely had any HP remaining.

「Mari-san! The finis.h.i.+ng blow!」

「Y-yes…!」

The finis.h.i.+ng blow? Is it really okay to finish her off?

This child is… Hibiki is a monster that indiscriminately sinks the players that pa.s.s through the sea, no questions asked. It's a monster that was obviously created to be an obstacle to the players… A monsters we must defeat. That's right, we need to defeat her!

I set up my bow, getting into the stance for the final attack.

『st-… stop』

「Eh?」

『stop… stop stop!!!』

As I was about to deal the finis.h.i.+ng blow, with an expression of despair on her face, Hibiki started trembling and s.h.i.+vering.

『No, don't, help me… I don't want to die……I don't want to die.』

Something's…

Just what is happening?

The girl before my eyes, frightened of death… is she really a monster?

Chapter 24 END

a.s.s to a.s.s

Trash to Trash