Grim activated his camo as he closed in on the source of the singing. Rendering him completely unseen in the surrounding vegetation, as light refracted around him. He paced his steps. Ensuring that his footfalls were silent and allowing for him to sneak forward. He ducked under a low branch and saw the trees begin to part ahead of him. Streaks of sunlight cutting through the darkness of the jungle. He crept towards the clearing and peered between two low hanging leaves.
In front of him, the jungle surrounded a small lagoon, with a sheer cliff off to his left. From the cliff, three waterfalls fell into the lagoon below. Sending up a mist of mountain water. In the middle of the lagoon sat a stack of large boulders. Each of them piled on top of one another as if to create a small stairway. Before the lagoon drained into a small river beyond it.
But Grim had his focus directed elsewhere, as perched atop the gray boulders sat a woman. Her upper body completely exposed to the elements around her. Her wet, red hair clung to her body and cascaded over her chest. Providing the woman a modicum of covering. But below the woman's chest and stomach, her body changed. As bright orange scales overlapped one another, before ending in a brightly colored tail. Which seemed to sway as the woman ran a hand through her hair.
Below her, another woman sat. Leaning against the natural incline of the rock. Her hair was jet black and brushed behind her. Allowing her to sun herself. While part of her blue tail dipped in and out of the water below.
Which pulled Grim's attention towards the water itself. Where more of the women swam. Some lazily against its surface, while others appeared to be playing with one another below. As if on cue, one of the women shot out of the water and on to the rocks. She dragged herself upwards using her hands, until she seemed to settle herself on a spot between the two aforementioned women. Brushing out her long, blond hair and grinning mischievously at the water below. Where another head appeared. Seeming to glare at the blonde above her.
"Mermaids?" Phoebe questioned. Her systems went into overdrive to find everything she could about them. Only to find a veritable treasure trove of pop-culture references and stories.
Grim remained silent as he holstered his magnum. He glanced back towards the waterfalls once more. Where another group of women seemed to be relaxing. Enjoying the sensation of the mist and waterfall above them. While also shielding them from most prying eyes. Grim dropped the cloak as he cast one more gaze across the lagoon.
As he started to move forward, Phoebe appeared on his HUD. Her avatar eyeing him quizzically.
"What's the plan?" She asked.
"Intel gathering."
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Melanthia tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Allowing the warmth of the sun's rays to cover her exposed chest and stomach. Relaxing her muscles and causing her lips to release a sigh of contentment. It has been a long time since she's had a chance to sun herself. Her and her sisters had been out at sea for the past week, hunting whatever fish they could get their hands on. This had left her a bit exhausted. As she had been designated as the shepherd for her group. Flushing the schools of fish towards her sisters so that they may catch as many as possible as the school passed.
She rolled her neck, feeling the popping of various gas bubbles within and loosening the built-up tightness of her shoulders. She sighed once more as she pressed herself deeper into the warmth of the rock. Above her, she listened to Pyrra belt out a song. Its words and cadence changing to best entice its listeners. She shifted slightly, angling her body towards Pyrra so that she might ask her sister a question. But, as she moved, an area of darkness caught her eye. Causing her to pause and shift her eyes towards it.
Upon closer inspection, she saw that there was a tall man standing at the edge of their little oasis. His armor was a dark void in contrast to the shadows behind him. Except for the bright, gold of his visor. Which seemed to be locked on her.
She glanced towards her sisters under the falls. Who still seemed to be ignorant of his presence. She then looked up towards Pyrra, who was messing around with one of their younger sisters below her. Teasing her about her matted hair. Meaning that Melanthia was the only one to have noticed this stranger in their presence. Her lips curled upwards into a seductive and hungry smirk. Before she rocked herself forward and into the water. Where she swam lazily forward. So as to not scare the man away.
She surfaced with a quiet grace. Allowing her raven locks to flow out behind her and the water's shine to accentuate her body. She settled on the water's edge with her elbows braced upon the rocks and her breasts prominently displayed. She then shot the man a warm smile.
"Hello." She purred, doing her best to sound enticing.
The man stared down at her. His gaze hidden behind the gold of his visor. Lending an air of mystery to the man. He then knelt. Placing his right forearm on his knee and gripping its wrist with his left hand. Melanthia felt a small tremor travel through the ground as he landed. Which surprised her. It meant that his strange armor was far heavier than it looked.
Melanthia waited for the man to respond. But it seemed he was far better at impersonating a statue than holding a conversation. So, she decided to plow ahead. It wouldn't be the first time a man was at a loss for words.
"My name's Melanthia, and welcome to our little oasis!" She greeted, punctuating her words with a carefree laugh. "I'd apologize for not greeting you immediately, but we weren't expecting you." She continued.
The man's gaze remained firmly fixed upon her. His body unmoving and silent. Behind her, she could hear a few of her sisters finally take notice. With whatever idle chatter falling silent or splashes ceasing. All around her, she could feel the tension begin to build. Like the calm before the storm.
"You know, I don't think I caught your name." She tried, forcing as much innocence into the question as she could. But it seemed the man wasn't having it. As his response came out both quickly and bluntly.
"Classified,"
Melanthia flinched slightly, surprised by his flat and cold tone. She was far more used to men being flustered or trying to be charming. While women often tried to butter her up with compliments or niceties. Apathy was something she had never encountered. But she'd try her best to shoulder on.
"Well Classified, you seem to be a long way from home. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked, reaching out to try and take his hand. Only for him to subtly back away.
"Please do not touch me ma'am." He ordered, before continuing onwards with a question, "What is the name of this island?"
Melanthia pulled her hand back, a blinding smile on her lips. Trying to appear far more interested in being helpful now that he had begun to speak.
"You're on the island of Aeaea." She answered
"Who controls or oversees the island?"
Melanthia jolted slightly, her smile still plastered on her face.
"Our Mistress! Speaking of…" she trailed off, turning towards one of her sisters and nodding subtly towards the waterfall. The girl's eyes blew wide for all of a half a second, before she dove under the water. She then reappeared within the falls. Her form traveling upwards as if the water were standing still. Her golden tail occasionally emerged from the water before crashing back down with a splash.
The armored man watched her sister ascend. His head tilted slightly in what Melantha had guessed to be wonder. Seizing the opportunity, Melanthia inched a bit closer while loosening her arms so that they were only a few inches away. Only to pause when the man turned his attention back towards her.
"Where is she going?"
"To the Mistress' palace. She always wants us to inform her if someone lands on her island." Melanthia answered with a shrug. Before a stray thought hit her. "Would you like us to take you to her?! We can travel through the underwater channels and rivers far faster than you'd be able to walk!" She pressed, as she reached towards him once more.
"No." The man answered, brushing her hands aside. He then continued on with his questioning, "Have you or any of your….sisters seen an object fall out of the sky? It was most likely on fire and landed approximately two weeks ago."
Melanthia tilted her head in confusion. Usually, the people she'd encounter would ask about their fellow survivors and whether or not they had passed by recently. Such as the group from a month ago that Melantha and her sisters had encountered all over the island. Each of them asking for the status of the other. It was a shame they hadn't split their group into smaller numbers.
"No. But I can ask my sisters if they've seen or heard anything." She answered, plastering the smile on her face once more.
"You do that."
Melanthia quelled a flash of irritation at the terseness of the response. Instead, with a powerful stroke of her tail, she rose upwards out of the water. Giving the man an eyeful of her body before she splashed back down on her back. She then rolled and made her way back towards her sisters. Who had begun to congregate together.
"What does he want?" Pyrra asked in their native tongue. A mask of faux interest and concern painted on her face. All while her eyes spoke of a deep hunger, as they flicked between Melantha and the man on the shore.
"He's looking for something that fell out of the sky a few weeks back." Melanthia answered. Failing to mask her tone of indifference and annoyance. They were too far away for the man to hear anything they said and she doubted he'd be able to understand their language.
"He's not looking for those people from a few weeks back?" One of their sisters interjected, her tone sounding surprised.
"Maybe he doesn't know about them." Another offered
"Maybe, but he had to see all the ships moored on beaches surrounding the island. Surely he must believe there's someone else on the island." Yet another sister offered.
"He's not." Melanthia huffed in annoyance.
"Strange." Pyrra said as she stared off towards the man.
"But enough of that!" Melanthia ordered. "Has anyone seen or heard of something crashing onto the island?"
"Who cares?!" One of her sisters laughed. "Let's just make something up. It's not like he would know if we're lying."
"But the best lies are the truth. Plus, I think he'll be able to tell if we're lying." Melanthia shot back.
"What makes you say that?" Pyrra asked.
Melanthia shifted uncomfortably. Her head turned quickly to glance back towards the armored figure. Whose visor was still locked on her as if she were some sort of prey.
"I don't know, but call it intuition. He only looked away from me when Pisinoe ascended the waterfall. Other than that, he's been completely locked on me." Melanthia explained.
Pyrra eyed her skeptically for a second. Seeming to assess something within her before she answered, "Alright. So has anyone heard tell of some strange object landing on the island recently?"
Her sisters shifted and glanced towards one another. Each of them silently asked the others if they may know of something. Only for Nereid to speak up from the back.
"I believe one of Mistress' nymphs had complained of a large explosion, followed by the ground shaking a few weeks ago. She mentioned it was on the Western edge of the jungle, but she never said exactly where."
"Good enough!" Pyrra declared as she began to organize their group. "Melanthia, go tell the man what we have heard. But do so slowly. Nereid, you and Clio dive underwater and approach him slowly. When Melanthia gives you the signal, all three of you burst out of the water and drag him in."
"What about his armor?" One of their sisters questioned.
Pyrra scoffed at that. "What about it? He'll drown quickly with all that weight around him. Then we can take our time peeling it off of him." She dismissed as an evil grin spread across her face.
"That means he'll last longer than the others." Another of their number observed excitedly.
Melanthia smirked as her heart rate increased at the prospect of a fresh meal. It had been awhile since that last group had passed, and she had only been able to drag three of their number into the depths
"I'll go tell him the good news then!" She proclaimed. Before she rolled in the water and made her way back to the armored man. She once again surfaced softly. Allowing the water to pour over her body and accentuate her most appealing assets. But it seemed completely lost on the statue in front of her.
"I have some good news!" She started, her voice sounding very excited "One of my sisters may have heard tell of some sort of fireball in the sky!"
She paused. Usually, her prey would launch into a series of questions. The most common of which was "where" and "how". But this man continued to be an anomaly. Just silently staring down at her. Waiting for her to continue with her story.
"She said that she heard from one of our other sisters that there was an explosion on the West side of the island. But she's not certain if that's correct because this sister heard this from another sister who said…" Melanthia began to ramble. She would never understand how her prey could become so easily enraptured by such mundane niceties. But it seemed it was super effective as often her prey would be caught off guard by the tactic.
So, she rambled on. Spinning a tale that not even a fly would be interested in. All the while, she waited for the sensation of her sisters' approach. Their tails distorting the water slightly as they swam. Once she felt the wave of their presence, she flicked her own tail downwards. A signal they had perfected over the centuries of capturing sailors.
"So anyways. That's where she heard about your mysterious object." She finished. A predatory smile on her lips that quickly turned into a loud snarl. As Melanthia lunged aggressively forward. Trying to find some sort of handhold on the man's armor to drag him into the depths. Meanwhile, the spray of water along her back announced the arrival of her sisters. Who were similarly reaching out towards his arms and shoulders.
All around her, the world seemed to be moving in slow motion. Her hands slowly approaching her prey and closing on the front of his chest plate. But then, she felt herself become weightless. As something wrapped itself tightly around her neck. She then felt the cold chill of the air along her scales, as the rest of her tail was pulled free of the lagoon's waters.
This weightless feeling continued for less than half a second, before she suddenly jolted to a stop. With the weight her tail pulling her downwards and her hands clutching fruitlessly at whatever had ensnared her. Her eyes bulged as she looked down at the outstretched arm of the man. His hand securely attached to her throat. She struggled for a few seconds. Smacking the man with her tail and punching at his arm. But it seemed her attacks had no effect, as he just continued to stare up at her.
Behind her, she could hear her sisters frantically screaming and snarling. Threats of dismemberment and disembowelment filling the air. As they splashed against the lagoon's edge.
"Put her down!" Melanthia heard Pyrra snarl.
"No." The man answered calmly, sending up another wave of protests and threats. Until one of their number managed to calm the others.
"What do you want?" Another of their number asked. Finally pulling the attention of the armored man. His golden gaze shifting away from Melanthia and towards their group.
"The object from the sky, where specifically did it fall?" He asked, his voice unchanged.
The mermaids all turned towards one another. Quickly conferring and speculating. Before Pyrra spoke up once more.
"We do not know. We've merely heard that it landed on the Western edge of the jungle, near enough that one the Mistress' nymphs took notice." She explained.
"Nymphs?"
"Mistress' pseudo daughters. She collects them as they appear on the island. They are allowed to freely wander her island and palace."
"Guards?"
Pyrra snorted derisively before she answered, "Mistress is above the need for guards….. No, she'll deal with you on her own."
After that, the jungle grew silent, as the man seemed to weigh their worth in his head. His stance unchanged. Melanthia let out a pained squawk from within his hold. Her lungs gasping for whatever air they could find. She saw the beginning of darkness ring itself around her vision, before she became weightless once more.
She landed with a large splash. The sudden chill of the water blasting whatever air she managed to hold, as she gasped loudly. She quickly spun in the water, righting herself as she broke the water's surface once more. Her sisters quickly formed a protective circle around her. All of them glaring towards the armored man.
Who seemed unphased. Returning their look with that faceless visage he called a helmet. Before he turned and started to disappear back into the forest. His armor becoming one with the shadows.
"Wait!" Pyrra called after him. Causing him to stop in his tracks. "Don't you want to know what happened to all those sailors from the wrecks on the beach?" She purred.
The man's upper body twisted slightly, allowing the gold of his visor to poke through the shadows surrounding him. He then spoke, his tone turning threatening for the first time since his arrival.
"I already know what happened to them." His gaze then lowered towards the edge of the lagoon.
Melanthia and her sisters followed his gaze. Only to find a human skull, picked clean of flesh and starting to be covered by sea life. Its hollow gaze staring into the distance.