------------ Dangou ------------

“Yes” The man said, “I do.”

Dangou frowned.

“And who are you?” He asked, a little suspicious.

“I’m her father.” The man responded.

“Oh.” Dangou paused, then smiled awkwardly, “Glad to have you onboard...Mr…?”

“Ah yes of course, the name’s Bor. Bor Wintershield.” The man bowed, introducing himself.

“So, Mr. Wintershield,” Dangou started, “you said that you had an idea as to what might be your daughter’s ‘anchor’?”

Bor nodded.

“The Everglade Spring.” He said.

The witch gasped in surprise.

“The infested one?” She inquired.

Bor sighed and grabbed a chair to sit down.

“It once served as the water supply of the Oakenbrew*.”

“The famous brewing village that one day just disappeared?” Osiro interrupted.

Staring strangely at the sword, Bor nodded and replied.

“It was a flourishing village. Their brew was one of the best in the empire.” He explained, “until that dastardly Siren** moved in three years ago.”

“As soon as it took residence upstream of the spring, it lured all the men of the village to its nest and killed the women who remained.”

“Sounds like a real smooth player.” Dangou giggled, then stopped, realising that the witch (and probably Osiro) was glaring at him.

“Oh yeah absolutely. They say she’s a real beauty!” Bor laughed, then stopped, realising everyone was glaring at him.

“Ahem… anyhow, my daughter used to visit that village regularly.” He continued, winking at Dangou, “You see, there was a boy she liked.”

Dangou winked back.

“And they used to play regularly at the Everglade Spring.”

The witch nodded slowly, taking in all the information.

“So, do we need to rescue the boy?” Dangou asked, slightly confused.

“No,” The witch cut in, “He’s probably dead anyway.”

Bor sighed and agreed, “It’s very unlikely that he would still be alive. A siren eats its partners after mating.”

“Then…” Dangou scratched his head.

“Water from the spring.” The witch concluded, “The water from the spring should be enough to bring her back.”

------------ Dangou ------------

- 13 hours later –

Dangou walked leisurely through the Ever-green woods, contemplating whether it had been a wise idea to accept the task or not. And Osiro, as usual, was not being particularly helpful.

“Are we seriously going to fight a siren?” The sword moaned, “You do know that sirens are your biggest weakness, right?”

Furrowing his brows, Dangou stopped and looked down at his partner.

“What? How?” He asked.

“Because you’re a single, virgin bastard?” Osiro suggested.

Slightly peeved at the cruel comment, Dangou sat down and thought deeply about his predicament.

“It didn’t matter that those men in the village had wives though, did it?” He grunted, not really knowing what to think.

“Either way, we should keep moving.”

Osiro was quiet as they started moving again, and the duo walked in silence with only the occasional singsong of forest birds as company. Every once in a while, Osiro would mumble, as though wanting to say something, but eventually deciding against it. Until finally they reached the edge of the abandoned and dilapidated Oakenbrew.

Dangou gulped, nervous, as he set foot into the village. Then suddenly, as though sensing his distress, Osiro spoke up, her voice echoing in the stillness of the god-forsaken place.

“Don’t worry.” She said quietly, “I won’t let her take you.”

Dangou nodded, thanking his partner with a pat on her sheath.

The village was positioned in a small area of filtered sunlight amongst the ancient Red Oaks of the neighbouring forest. While the buildings were still contact, each and every dwelling had been covered by ravaging vines and unkempt shrubbery. The scenery itself was eerie, but above all else, it seemed unearthly. Songbirds which had accompanied Dangou all the way from Delsa had stopped their chirpings, replaced instead by a horrid screeching, before quickly returning to the safety of the forests.

The air was tense with an inexplicable fear.

Dangou kept his eyes peel and ears wide open as he tread slowly down the main street. He winced as a stick cracked under the pressure of his foot, but alas, there was no movement within the village.

Frowning slightly, Dangou stood up straight and took a deep breath.

“I’M NOT SCARED!” He shouted towards the sky, “COME AT ME SIREN!”

Fortunately, there was no response.

“Whew.” Dangou let out a breath of relief, grinning with joy.

“Looks like no one’s in the village.” He said, loud enough so that the whole area could listen.

“Yeah well, no shit,” Osiro scowled, “Everyone’s dead you retard.”

“I guess huh.” Dangou chuckled, scratching his head as they continued, now slightly more relaxed, through the village.

Unbeknownst to them, however, they had caught the attention of a shadowy silhouette in the distance.

------------ Dangou ------------

- A few hours later –

“So, this is it?” Osiro asked, rather unimpressed, “It’s kind of generic, isn’t it?”

Dangou couldn’t help but agree as they approached the entrance of the Siren’s cavern. It was rather typical, just another large hole, with an ominous atmosphere. Admittedly, he had wanted to raid something a bit classier, maybe a castle, or perhaps a mansion for once, but this would have to do.

“So, what’s the deal?” Dangou asked, “Do we just head straight in or…?”

“Yeah why not.” Osiro replied.

“Ok then.” Dangou shrugged, then entered the cave.

Upon setting foot into the foreboding cave, Dangou immediately took note of the music which suddenly began to play. It was a soothing tone, one that encouraged the listener to kick back, sit down and enjoy a warm brew by the fireplace. He, unsurprisingly, quite liked it.

“Hey Dangou, I wanted to tell you something.”

Compared to the tense atmosphere of the abandoned village, this musical, cavernous hole was just about heavenly. Dangou could fully understand why the villagers were tempted to come and live here. In fact, he himself wanted to settle down here.

“Uhhh Dangou?”

Why not? It was a warm, care-free and peaceful place. Yes. He should definitely live here. But just at the entrance was not enough. Surely it would be even warmer, even more care-free deeper down he went. Right?

------------ Osiro -------------

“DANGO! ARE YOU SERIOUS?” Osiro shouted, exasperated at her useless master. "IT'S ONLY BEEN TWO MINUTES."

“Ugh… heh heh…” Dangou giggled. It was obvious that something had taken over the clarity of his mind. Something undoubtedly disgusting and obscene, given his reactions. Osiro sighed. She should've known that this was going to happen. Now what? She was utterly helpless.

Fifteen minutes of Dangou’s sleep-walking later, the surroundings had turned dark and Osiro was getting desperate.

“Dangou…” Osiro tried for the fifth time, “Wake up, please?”

And yet again there was no answer.

The duo, like it or not, had now ventured so far down that surface light had begun to fail them. It was only by Osiro’s faint glow did they continue. In the dim light, Dangou would occasionally trip, usually falling face first, onto the rugged floor. Osiro tried to utilise these moments and shone brightly, attempting to snap her master from his trance with the blinding light. But each time, to no avail. As even more time passed, Osiro gradually lost her will to keep trying, until finally, she gave in, opting instead to save her energy for the final struggle.

And just like that, Osiro was dragged, against her will, towards the heart of evil, and into the Siren’s nest.

-------------- The Siren’s Nest (1) End --------------

*Oakenbrew, one of the 5 famous beers of the Empire, recently disappeared due to the Siren Incident. It's said that the beer brewed in the ancient wood of Red Oaks had magical properties which could completely refresh an exhausted individual.*

**Siren - A monster of which usually takes form as a human woman. Her weapon is the beautiful voice that all Sirens are blessed with at birth. They are capable of mimicking and producing any sound. Usually consumes, partners post mating and so the species is predominantly female.**