Chapter 42: Mary the "Bloodwitch"
The Stepstones, Bloodfang Bay
The name Bloodfang Bay originated from the terrifying, spike-like reefs surrounding the island. Since Mary the "Bloodwitch" began hanging those who dared offend her upon them, the name Bloodfang Bay had become thoroughly famous throughout the Stepstones.
The steward of "black fox" Letho was named Santos, who had served the family of "black fox" Letho for nearly 30 years.
At this moment, led by more than ten pirates, he was slowly advancing toward Bloodfang Bay aboard a ship named the "Invincible Sea Dragon."
"Lord Santos! W-we won't be sacrificed by that 'Bloodwitch,' will we?! I heard she drinks a cup of virgin's blood every day and eats a man's heart! I… I'm still young, I don't want to die!"
The pirate speaking was a freckled youth with curly black hair; his teeth chattered as he spoke.
Upon hearing his words, the surrounding pirates also huddled closer in fear, as if only the presence of their companions could grant them courage.
"What is there to fear? If we cannot rescue Lord Letho, then we can only wait for death. Think about what kind of fellows were left behind at the base. If they find out Lord Letho cannot return, will we have any good days ahead of us?"
Santos's words echoed in everyone's ears, causing the apprehensive pirates to imagine many grim scenarios.
"Since going back means death and moving forward means death, why don't we choose the path that offers a chance at life?"
The power base of "black fox" Letho was located in the central part of the Stepstones. His purpose in launching the expedition to Cutthroat Isle was to expand his influence within the Stepstones.
Unfortunately, although Letho was known as the "black fox," he ultimately failed to best that seasoned hunter, Salladhor Saan.
With Santos's "consolation," the pirates overcame the fear in their hearts and began to think about their next steps.
Most of these men were confidants of "black fox" Letho and had enemies throughout the Stepstones and surrounding areas. Unless they steeled their hearts and fled to the North, they would have no place to stand in the Stepstones.
And so, under the terrified gazes of the pirates, the "Invincible Sea Dragon" slowly sailed into Bloodfang Bay.
The waters of Bloodfang Bay were extremely turbid; from a distance, it looked as if they had been dyed with ink.
As this group of pirates under "black fox" Letho ventured deeper, an incredibly eerie world appeared before their eyes.
The first thing to enter their sight was the famous "Bloodfang Forest"—those strange, fang-like reefs that faced the open sea in a bizarrely curved shape.
These reefs towered into the clouds like giant trees, giving off a sense of grandeur and magnificence.
However, looking at these strange reefs inspired a deep-seated dread, as if one were standing inside the mouth of some terrifying monster.
As the ship continued forward, the pirates felt as though they had entered a forest composed of stone.
Yet, within this forest of massive stone pillars, there grew a fruit called death: withered corpses hung from the tops of these pillars in various strange positions.
When the sea breeze blew against these horrific mummies, they drifted with the wind in an eerie manner, looking like dried human-skin banners.
"Whoosh… whoosh…"
As the sea breeze passed through this stone forest, the pirates felt a very strange atmosphere, as if something were watching them.
Furthermore, the pirates discovered that the seawater here became unnaturally calm, as if it were being swallowed by the forest.
Only when the sea breeze brought a hint of chill did the pirates realize their backs had been soaked with sweat at some unknown point.
"Look at those corpses. Don't they look like they were sucked dry by something?"
"Trios above! Can you fucking shut up?"
Hearing the man's words, Santos immediately blurted out a curse. He was naturally terrified himself, but he understood that once certain things were said aloud, they only served to amplify the fear in one's heart.
"Death, flesh… ah… ah, don't come over here!"
However, the person speaking seemed not to hear Santos's cursing; instead, he began to scream even louder, as if he were seeing something truly horrific.
Thump, thump… clatter…
Unable to bear it any longer, Santos struck the youth's head directly with the cane in his hand. After taking the heavy blow, the boy collapsed onto the deck.
This youth, who had already gone a bit mad, was the same one who had questioned Santos earlier. With the boy's collapse, the pirates' nearly snapping nerves seemed to relax slightly.
"Caw… caw…"
Just then, a series of terrifying cries came from the reefs. Everyone quickly turned to look, only to see a flock of ravens with blood-red eyes.
These ravens seemed different from ordinary ones; they appeared larger, and they didn't seem to fear these pirate subordinates of "black fox" Letho. Instead, they watched them as if staring at prey.
"Everyone be careful, these things are strange!"
After signaling his deputy to drag the unconscious youth away, Santos quickly gave orders to the surrounding pirates.
Whoosh… crackle…
At that moment, a ripple suddenly appeared on the originally silent sea, followed by the sound of wood grinding against wood in everyone's ears.
It was a Swan Ship that looked somewhat dilapidated, appearing as if it might fall apart at any moment. Yet, the ship continued to float quietly—or rather, it was drifting bit by bit toward Santos.
"Prepare to evade!"
The signalman shouted the command, and the helmsman in charge of steering, seeing the other ship's course, quickly turned the wheel to the right.
"What!?"
But then, a bizarre sight appeared before everyone. The pirates saw that the broken ship, which had been sailing slowly, suddenly accelerated at the same speed to ram directly into the bow of the "Invincible Sea Dragon."
"Careful, hold on tight!"
Seeing the other's eerie way of sailing, Santos hastily ordered everyone to prepare for impact, as they could not possibly evade at their current speed and had to accept the collision.
Boom… screech… screech…
After a violent collision occurred, a continuous, tooth-aching sound filled everyone's ears.
"Watch out!"
As the two ships made contact, countless grappling hooks were thrown from the deck of the old, broken ship. Immediately after, numerous slender figures leaped over from the wreck.
In a short moment, over thirty slender women appeared on the deck of the "Invincible Sea Dragon."
These female warriors wore simple leather armor with various animal skins sewn onto the outside, making their frames appear sturdier than the average woman.
However, the sharp-eyed Santos still noticed the difference: these female warriors' builds and physiques were indeed much stronger than average women, and some even surpassed the pirates standing beside him.
"W-we are here to see your leader, Mary! W-we encountered a dragon on Cutthroat Isle!"
Watching the female warriors approach with spears and bucklers, Santos hurriedly roared out these words.
Because he was too agitated, Santos's voice cracked, but as his words rang out, the surrounding female warriors stopped in their tracks.
Soon, the crowd parted, and a woman covered in a blood-red hooded robe slowly appeared before Santos.
This woman was very tall, appearing to be about two meters. Perhaps because of her height, Santos felt her way of walking was a bit strange, as if she were hopping or skipping along.
"Mortal, you say you have seen a dragon?"
Since the other person's head was covered by a strange mask, Santos could not see her actual face. However, from her cold words, he could almost imagine her appearance.
"Are you Lady Mary?"
"Answer me, mortal!"
Because Santos did not answer her question directly, the tall woman seemed to grow angry, and her voice turned colder.
Santos felt a terrifying pressure surging toward him. This strange sensation made him extremely uncomfortable; he felt as though the person before him was not a woman, but a fearsome ancient beast.
"Yes, our Lord Letho was attacked by a dragon. Cutthroat Isle has now become the lair of that terrifying wizard. Rumors say he can summon not only dragons, but even Direwolves and sharks!"
Under the pressure of that strange aura, Santos blurted everything out in one breath, though there was some exaggeration involved.
But Santos understood that to rescue "black fox" Letho, he had to find an even more bizarre Bloodwitch. If he did, perhaps he might still have a chance.
After saying all this, Santos closed his eyes as if resigning himself to fate, waiting for her to decide his end.
Unfortunately, the disposal Santos expected did not happen. All he saw were the female warriors constantly retreating.
"Lord S-Santos! D-did we succeed?"
As the female warriors withdrew, the eerie, broken ship gradually sailed into the distance. Seeing that nothing had gone wrong on their end, a sailor plucked up the courage to ask the question.
"W-we…"
Rumble… rumble…
Just as Santos was about to speak, a series of violent tremors suddenly shook the hull of the "Invincible Sea Dragon"…
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