[My entry for the Magic Mix'n'Match contest held by YAFantasy (:]

[Update: my entry happened to win this time too. (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

From the vicious, crashing waves emerged the magnificent creature.

The sky was a dark, thundering expanse, the rain pouring down harshly, each drop a cold sting against my skin. My boat was a rusty wooden vessel, torn apart piece by piece by the cruel waters of the Deep Seas, now only a weak skeleton of its previous splendor.

I staggered as a giant wave sent my boat careening to the side. I barely hung on to the lone sail, soaked from head to toe, my long, braided hair clinging to my body like a python. All around me was the infinite stretch of the restless sea, its waves threatening to upend my boat.

But what frightened me the most was the swift but undeniable flash of scales that had arisen from the waters for the briefest of second before disappearing in its depth again.

My hand inched towards the cutlass that remained hanging by my sturdy cummerbund, my fingers shaking pathetically and not from the cold. But I could not help my fear. The way my heart roared, louder than the boom of thunder. The way my sweat mixed with the rain.

A deafening snarl ripped through the storm, so loud that it sent another round of waves crashing onto me, as if even the water were trembling with the power and rage of the creature that resided somewhere beneath it.

I could hardly believe it. After months of voyaging and searching, here it was.

The Sea Dragon.

A part of me was tempted to change directions and get the hell out of here. Was facing the strongest, most fearsome beast, that a few months ago I had strongly believed was but a mythical creature, worth the consequences?

No! Run! a voice screamed in my mind. Run when there's still time!

But the foolhardy, irrational part of me knew that I could not. Tonight, I would stay. I had to. This was my one chance at freedom. And to save my mates.

Find the Sea Dragon, the King had commanded, his eyes alight in cruel mirth while my comrades had only looked grim, already picturing my dead body, mourning the demise of their captain. And kill it. If you do manage to achieve that when the bravest have failed, you shall have your freedom, William Scar Thompson. Fail...and my guillotine won't hesitate to behead your companions.

I had not missed the way he had mockingly called me 'Scar.' The name I had taken up as a pirate, the name that could ring fear and command power. Until, all of it was stripped away when the King's navy had finally caught up to us.

Neither did I miss that it was my comrades who would have to pay for trusting me as their captain. Should I fail tonight, I would become a dragon appetizer anyway. Although, not a very fleshy one. And my mates would be killed for I would not be able to return within the deadline. But if I returned empty-handed, without any proof of my kill, well, then, all of us would be publicly executed.

Every path led to death. So, what did it matter if I jumped headlong into danger? Besides, if I had to choose, I'd rather die in the sea than be condemned to public humiliation.

A bizarre sort of determination seemed to take hold of me as my sharp eyes spotted another quick flash of something shining and slippery. Way too close than I could have estimated.

Swallowing and taking a quick inventory of my weapons—several daggers, a gun and my loyal cutlass—that were hidden cleverly on my person, I knew I was ready—

Nay, one more thing remained.

I fished out the flask of grog from a tiny cabinet in the boat and licked down the last drops of it before tossing it in the ocean. As the strong, bitter alcohol numbed my nerves, I knew it was time to make use of my greatest asset.

The Sea Dragon would not attack on its own. I would have to play offence. But to do so, it had to emerge first. And I knew just the way to cajole it out. A grin split my lips, caked with salt and grime, as I brought out the gleaming, pearly-white shell from my coat pocket. It looked fragile in my calloused grasp, too soft under the harsh rolls of lightning but only I knew the power beneath its deceptive vulnerability.

I braced myself, wrapping thick, dirty rags around my head as I finally dared to open the clasp of the shell. But I still flinched back, as a loud, high-pitched, deadly ringing emerged from it, the powerful song vibrating through my muscles and making my teeth chatter. I flung it on the ocean, my nose bleeding and a headache traipsing through my temples, while the waves parted around it. As giant, magnificent ripples appeared on the water, another scream—an agonized one—joined it.

The Sea Dragon's only weakness: the song of a Siren.

The legends talk in lengths about the Dragon's powers and might. But in the few days I had spent poring over the texts in the enormous library of the King's palace, I had found one—a lone, thin book gathering dust—that mentioned about a rumoured vulnerability of the creature. It's only one, I suppose.

It had taken weeks' worth of journeying in the complete opposite direction of where I was supposed to be heading to finally find the lair of the Sirens. It was surprising, how, in a matter of weeks, all that I had thought of as mere stories had come to life. There was a time when my father, a renowned pirate himself, used to tell me stories about the devils who would lure sailors with their honey-sweet voices and eat them.

I had dismissed them as cautionary tales for children. Gah, how wrong I was!

Physical prowess hadn't worked but it seemed like I did have enough wits to present a deal to those monsters who seemed fascinated with the quest I had undertaken. So, in exchange for their song, I had sworn to give them an eye of the Dragon.

They had simply laughed, a berating, crowing sound. "We don't want an eye, Scarrrr," one of the Sirens had hissed, flashing her fangs ringed with blood. Probably mine from when they had attempted to lunge at me and gnaw at my arm. "But we will be observing your journey. We will wait to see you go for the kill. If you can." Her narrow eyes had suggested I would not be able to anyways.

But, now, as the water rose above me in a huge tsunami and fell back crashing to reveal the enormous creature, its ethereal, wicked beauty beyond the comprehension of my mortal mind, I quietly swore to prove them wrong.

This was it.

The sea spray and the wind stung my skin as the Dragon bellowed, appearing in its full, mighty glory, the sea frothing and foaming around its long, sinuous body, its hide like ten layers of shining indigo armour, camouflaging with the sea but, at the same time, stark and vivid. When it opened its mouth, I knew it could swallow me whole in one bite.

I was so busy gauging its teeth, which were like rows of long knives, that by the time I noticed its tail flying towards me, it was too late. The long flesh crashed on my boat, splintering it into an unrecognizable mess. A scream ripped through me as I barely dodged, my leg erupting in pain as I dove for the sea. A trail of blood from the wound colored the water red; otherwise I was fine.

But I needed air. Pushing with all my strength in what I assumed was the right direction, I finally broke surface, huffing and coughing. At the last moment, as the Dragon started to retract its tail, I had an idea.

I lunged at it and, fortunately, the current was on my side. Wrapping my arms around it, I scrambled to get a footing. And then, foolishly enough, I found myself running over its tail and towards its body. Every time I started to slip, I plunged my dagger at its skin, barely retaining my hold. But I had my sight on its belly. It was the softest part. Or the eyes.

The Dragon cried and tried to shake me off but I clung on to it like a stubborn leech. But the creature wasn't done either. I screamed as suddenly it gave a huge jerk of its tail and I found myself flying in an impossible height, my arms pinwheeling. And then I was falling. And falling. And...CRASH!

I didn't land in the water. In fact, I found myself staring right on the giant, slated eyes of the Dragon as I landed on his snot, of all places. For a second, I just stared, mesmerized by its golden orbs, burning with life and power. And I almost lamented having to kill it.

But I had a mission.

When I produced my gun and tried to shoot at its eye, it thrashed and my aim went haphazard, sailing towards the water instead. But that seemed to startle the creature because it dove down, screeching like a banshee, while I struggled to hold on.

A wall of water hit me while I vainly tried to swim away from it. But it blocked my path with a huge paw, snarling ferociously. My lungs burning, I pulled out another dagger and threw it at it but the blade only scraped its face lightly. But it still shouted in pain.

And, then, bizarrely enough, another cry joined it.

I gaped as a similar creature, tiny in comparison to the Dragon, probably my size, swam towards the it. Realisation dawned as I saw the Mother Dragon's tail move protectively over its child whose giant eyes stared at me almost pleadingly, as if to say, Don't kill my mother.

I was too shocked to move. Well, this was certainly...unexpected.

But as I looked at the wounded mother and its child, I knew I couldn't do it. I wasn't that cruel. The acceptance tasted bitter, the surety of my own death looming over me, the King's gleeful smile at my failure. But there was no choice.

Sighing in defeat, I swam towards the surface, accepting the decapitation awaiting me. But when I finally found air, I recoiled back to see a girl floating beside me, having materialised out of nowhere.

It took me a second to register it was one of the Sirens.

"What do you want?" I rasped.

She grinned slyly. "To give you one last gift. For sparing the life of the Dragon."

"I...What? Why do you even care?"

"Oh please. The Dragons are harmless. It is not their nature to kill. Whenever someone attempts to hunt them, it is me and my sisters who attack back. But you have shown mercy, so you shall receive the same in return."

I could only gawk as she sparks ignited in her fingertips and a disembodied eyeball appeared in her hands. My lips twisted in distaste as I took it. Fortunately, I had experience handling gross.

"It seems you are in more need of an eye than me," the Siren said, smirking. "A spoil from the Father Dragon who died from natural causes. Take it and leave, pirate. Do not return. I might not be so agreeable next time, especially now that we have a child to protect."

Before I could answer, she snapped her fingers and a strong current took hold me. I faded into oblivion and when I opened my eyes, the sun was shining brightly in the cerulean sky. I was back on my boat, which was whole and repaired. But as I started to row back, I could've sworn there was a golden eye peeking up at me from the waters.