forum "Bloodstained Gold" (Pirate Group RP) {Closed}

Started August 25, 2022 by @ScotchTapeWorm group

tune

The Captains laugh slowly began to fade into a low, dark chuckle. Almost purring. He stared at metal net, now that it was placed on the deck none too gently, like fishermen observing their catch and seeing what got to stay and what had to be thrown back into the sea. The tall pirate began to pace around it, circling his prey, now that it was helpless. The crimson light of the sun had faded after the battle, which felt like it had lasted for years and for just a few heartbeats all at once. The twilight was a dark purple, which seemed to almost match Silver-Tongues violet eyes, that swirled with greed and excitement in equal parts.

He paced the a full circle around the net, inspecting every side and every inch. His eyes washed over the dead and alive Sirens with his trademark intensity. His eyes spoke of greed, of wanting to own everything around him, the land, the treasure, the very soul of the person he spoke to.Yet, as he walked the Captain simply felt.. Curiosity. The adrenaline from the battle was slow to leave his veins and the satisfaction of new things to own was still there yes.. But these were creatures unknown and unfamiliar. Both a threat and something to threaten, the simple thought of danger sent another thrill down the Captains spine. His thoughts raced a mile a minute as he waited. The crew watched him uncertainty, shuffling their feet before turning to help the injured or themselves if they were the injured.

The Captain wiped bloody water off his cheek with his thumb, licking it curiously. Salt water and the tang of human blood, mixed also with a foreign kind. Sirens blood was saltier, more fishy. He hissed out slowly through his teeth, the sound was startlingly loud, making a few of the men near him jump. He was considering whether or not to open the nets. Sure, all but four of the Sirens were dead. And one was practically kneeling at deaths door and the other three were probably in no shape to fight but.. They could still try to run. Maybe he could get the men to see if they could bind the creatures while they were still tangled in the barbed fishing net and then remove them. Maybe. The possessiveness the serpentine Captain felt over what was his, had already extended to these new catches, and he did not want them leaving. Though if any of them tried anything Silver-Tongue was more than willing to kill or maim the things. Two in the head, one in the heart, to make sure it was really shaking hands with the grim reaper.

Decisions, decisions..

(PFT- I think drabbles would be a wonderful idea. Maybe we could play around with AU's and stuff if everyone is willing )

(I LOVE THAT IDEA YES PLEASE OMG)

“Inez! What are you doing?”
“I- I was looking for you! What’re you doing?” She saw Kavo glance up.
“C’mon, get out of the water, it’s gross down here.”
“But-” Inez found herself faltering for words. “But are you oka-”
“I’m okay, you climb out and I’ll follow.” Inez nodded as he motioned towards the ladder.
Climbing the rope and wood ladder, she was grateful Kavo was alright. She was grateful she was alive. She yanked her sword out of the rope.
Inez reached the top and stood on the deck for a moment. She saw the captain, still cackling like a lunatic. In another circumstance she might go join him, to see what it was, but she didn’t have the energy. She sat, knees to her chest. So much had just happened, and it hadn’t even been longer than an hour. Or, it could have been. It was more dissatisfying to Inez that she had no clue what had happened, other than the trance. She heard Kavo ascending the ladder and stood, trying to think of something to say. Words had failed her, and she preferred action anyways. But what more was there to do? She held onto the railing lightly, this time not grasping for life or equilibrium, but for some sort of guidance. Kavo boarded, once again, the wood they stood on now bloodstained. Beginning to say something, she was interrupted by more laughter, louder and more unhinged. Inez became distracted and walked towards Captain Silver-Tongue, and a few fishermen, slower as she got closer. His laughter finally faded, but his mirth was far from gone.

Peering past him, Inez wasn’t sure whether she should feel surprised or horrified as the man paced the dying Sirens. She fully entered the newly gruesome scene, watching concernedly as the captain seemed to be thinking about what to do with his earnings. She grew slightly pale, staring unwillingly though so curiously at the beautiful, fish-adjacent creatures that were almost gone. Her hands shook and she clenched them into fists. “What are they?” Inez asked weakly. She almost didn’t wait for an answer, her subconscious about to sprint to her room, or just somewhere else. Willing to stay planted, steeling herself for whatever was to come in either the next day or the very next second. Her palm drew towards her forehead in an attempt to relieve pressure, the other still in a fist. Barely hearing the reply, she closed her eyes, though still so awake. Seeing it all through the back of her eyelids.

Kavo couldn't climb ladders very easily, so he wound up mostly using the rope ladder like a rappel line. He gripped in his hands and pulled, walking up the side of the Deceit. He finally made it back on deck, and noticed Inez slumped on the deck. He started to go to her, to make sure she was ok, when she stood and made her way over to the Captain.
Axel Silver-tongue was circling the nets with the sirens like a true predator, surveying his prey. Kavo could feel the malevolent energy coursing off the tall man, but it was tempered by what he could only assume was curiosity.
As he surveyed the surviving Sirens, Kavo noted that only a few were alive, and those were wounded or dazed. He wondered what the Captain could want with them.
The rest of the crew seemed ready to pounce, ready to kill the creatures responsible for the deaths of so many of their shipmates. Easily a quarter of the crew had thrown themselves into the waters, drowning or being torn apart, and Kavo could see the thirst for revenge in the faces of the survivors. The only thing keeping them in check was the massive, domineering presence of the Captain. Kavo felt the same pull. His grief had subsided as their song had ended, but it was a never-ending ache in his chest. He'd managed to push it way down out of notice, but this incident had dredged it up again, and Kavo was angry.
Although he'd killed enough of them to sate his own need for revenge, and wasn't champing at the bit like some of the others. He watched as the Captain continued circling.

As Orion's body rises in the air, thumping against the side of the ship as its pulled in, he tries his best to think of a plan. As best as he can whilst in seething pain, the metal barbs moving around in his flesh as the net moves and gravity takes hold.
The pressure of the sirens lifeless corpses on top of him is overwhelming. Though the pain in his ribs as they're pressed down into his chest is nothing compared to the loss and heartbreak he feels for his lost loved ones and family, and friends. sirens he had talked to not even hours beforehand now stare at him with lifeless eyes. Their gills flapping and gasping, the ends of their tails twitching still like a freshly killed spiders limbs, the nerves not yet dead. Orion believed it was due to the fact that their soul were still trying to find a way out of their body, not wanting to leave just yet. Not willing to let go of what they've built in this life. Relationships, homes, treasures…memories.
It was something Orion doesn't blame them for. He wouldn't want to leave this life either.
Even so, Orion wasn't sure if he wanted to live through this. He had a plan but now he debated whether or not to go through with it. He felt as if the hope was seeping out through the wounds his body had dealt and the will to live was slowly fleeing his soul quicker than the tears streaming down his cheeks.
Hot tears-a sensation he wasn't yet used to-fill those beautiful bronzed eyes of his as they grow dim and clouded, looking one of the sirens in the eyes, the knife still hiding in her corpse, bloodied yet still sharp. And those eyes…. those cold eyes with that blank, almost creepy stare. He wouldn't be able to sleep for a week after this.
It's like having the worst staring contest of his life with a childhood friend of his. And he's certain she'll win.
Orion chokes back sobs as they're pulled up, his arm struggling to reach her face but nevertheless doing so.
Her skin is still warm…
Ginger red hair tangled around her neck and splattered over her face, he wipes the strands away, letting the tears fall.

Orion's chance to grieve doesn't last long as the net is dumped violently onto the wet wood of the ship. The barbs dig into his scales even more as they're pressed between the wood and his back. He takes a deep breath, sharply sucking in air through his jagged, sharp teeth but doesn't let out anymore sound than that. Rolling over to his side, he leans over the corpse, not moving as much as the others though obviously alive. Diluted blood covers his body, soaking his hair and coating his damaged yet thick scales as they shine almost silver in the moonlight, hues of violet glistening off of the siren's skin under the sunset. On any normal day, Orion would be admiring this with Liyas.
But now…he holds onto his dead friends hand still, not wanting to let her go.
The few sirens still alive screech and wail in pain, sobbing and hissing while they try to get free. The ones that still have energy in them anyway.
Orion stays close to the corpse, acting as if he were trying to get her to wake up, hiding the gash in her chest with his body so the knife would stay hidden.
"Dont go, please" he weeps, his hand running through her wet hair, wiping blood off her cheek.
It was worth a shot to try to stay alive. If not for himself… for everyone else who made it out…
For Liyas.

His grief and heartache quickly turns to anger as his thoughts swirl his mind. As the tall mans laugh clouds his sadness, developing his rage.
hes laughing….. hes…laughing?
Orion looks up to the captain, whom he thought to be a pathetic excuse for one compared to the ones he's seen. And even eaten.
He lets out a hiss, baring his sharp teeth at him as he lifts the end of his tail, threatening to whip him through the next like a snake rattles his tail even in a glass tank.

Kavo noted the Siren lift its tail, even with all the weight of the net and the bodies around it. That one clearly had some fire still left in it.
But threatening the Captain was not the right move to make.
Kavo stepped up behind Captain SIlver-tongue, folding his arms across his chest and clacking his pincers loudly, just once. He made eye contact with the Siren and just tipped his head forward.
He knew full well that the Captain could do his own intimidating, he didn't need Kavo's help by any stretch of the imagination, but.
Well. Loyalty is loyalty, and besides. The Sirens had made Kavo feel things he didn't want to feel. No reason to be nice now.

After a few moments in pacifying darkness, Inez’s eyes flashed open to see the source of the hissing.
The Siren, bloody and injured, was alive. Maybe barely alive, but still here, twitching and shifting under what must be a very heavy net. Even if she was a bit intimidated by the Siren, she was somewhat consoled by this. The fact that the creature was alive, though the Siren’s brethren next to him(?) were not as soothing. She told herself to hang on here a little longer, not to leave yet. It was, again, tempting to run off. Truly torn between loyalty and her own morals, she could only watch. The Siren was angry, understandably. Inez's hand moved from her forehead to behind her hot neck, brushing her hair to the side and letting her uninjured palm rest on the skin. Another breath, letting her hand fall. Her head tilted upwards, the sky shifting towards dusk. The clouds moved swiftly across the sky, one steady thing to look at; The boat rocked rhythmically, one steady thing to feel.
A bit more. Something kept telling Inez that she had to stay a bit longer, something was about to happen.
click
Inez looked down, back to earth- or, sea. She watched Kavo and his expression, wondering what the clicking of his pincers implied.

(no, it makes sense to me! im glad that came across; and i love how orion still is thinking about liyas, even with his life on the line- it makes it all seem a lot more personal)

(lol im glad you took notice to that!)

Captain Silver-Tongue smiled slowly, his head tipping to one side. He couldn't help but compare their catch to fish in his mind, being caught by a net and all. Having watched the tangled group of Sirens, he'd finally come to a small decision. Axel was not a kind man, he never gave anyone illusions of this, he quite liked his reputation as it was. One that sparked fear or envy in onlookers, one that made people wary even before they met him. He liked that- No scratch that, he loved the feeling, it made him powerful, gave him control over others he wouldn't normally be afforded. And being feared was half the battle won.

He'd once picked up a short woman who had claimed to be a mind doctor once, she seemed obsessed with pirates. This short little strawberry blonde thing, had practically begged to be let on the ship to 'study' the crew. On a whim, Axel had said yes, it might be amusing to have a brain witch with them for a while and the crew didn't seem to mind at the time. She'd sat the Captain down and asked him all about his childhood, his parents, life growing up, any childhood friends? She'd been convinced all of the Captains greed and anger came from growing up in a relatively poor family and he was compensating for it later in life. That everything he did in the now had reasons and was explained by the past. The Captain had listened patiently, nodding along, and then had her thrown off the side of the ship.
He could still remember the witch's shocked face, begging him not to do it, that she could help him, that he could still be a better man. He remembered looking into her blue eyes and snidely asking what part of his childhood made him do this? She didn't get much of a chance to answer. Truth was, the Captain had a few marbles short of a full collection, it made him dangerous. A wild beast without a leash, he did what he wanted because he wanted to. Why worry about 'morals' or what other people thought, he didn't have to deal with heavy things like emotional baggage or "the law". Axel considered himself a free man, and he enjoyed doing it.

Perhaps that was why he considered what he did to be one of the kindest things he'd done in his less than legal sea-faring career. The group of Sirens were wailing piteously, thrashing and hissing, doing their best to wiggle free even with gravity and barbed nets working against them. Clearly some of the creatures had fight left in them, and Kavo, bless his heart, was backing up his Captain, standing behind him threateningly. It made the Captains smile widen. Shifting Greed to his left hand, the captain slowly unsheathed his saber, glancing at his own reflection on the blade. He used the gun to move some of his hair back into place, the unruly curls again having come undone from their pony tail. They shadowed his face in an appropriately menacing way now, he really was a showman at heart.

Approaching the net, he looked at the fourth Siren, too injured and exhausted to fight or move much, it focused all of its energy on gasping for breaths of precious air, even as its blood soaked the deck. The creature had wide silver eyes, truly beautiful and full of tears. They had hints of grey in them too, reminding the Captain of an approaching storm cloud, or dark mist rolling off the ocean. Crouching down, the ends of his coat soaking in the briny puddle of blood, he smiled at the young looking Siren. He leaned in closer, his smile softening even as the dying Siren looked at him with a mixture of pleading and hatred in its large beautiful eyes. With an agonizingly slow precision, the Captain placed the tip of the sword underneath one of the creatures gills. It was lying on its side, so he had to tilt his head to retain eye contact. The Siren's eyes went even wider, hissing slowly in a pained breath as the sword slowly began to move down, cutting through the soft gills and into the larynx beneath it. Silver-Tongue made a soft comforting noise, the situation was extremely weird and very tense.

Using the last of its strength the monster tried to grab the sword, weakly pushing it back, really only succeeding in cutting the webbing on its delicate hands its claws scrabbling on the bright metal. Unperturbed the monster continued pushing the sword down, watching the Siren give a final gasp of air, before the light left it's storm cloud eyes. An expression of hatred curled on its face until the last moment, still there as its life slipped away. For a heartbeat, silence reigned over the deck, the men intimidated by the intensity of the scene, the only sound left was the pained noises of the three remaining Sirens.

Then the Captain stood up straight, wiping the salty blood off of his blade with a corner of his coat, sheathing the blade once more. His step was still light, he even began humming a little tune, some shanty he couldn't bother to remember the name of. He glanced at the last three surviving Sirens, pursing his lips in thought. All three were visibly angry, two were still trying to escape, maiming themselves further in the process. Then his head turned and violet eyes met bronze eyes..

Silver-Tongue felt a tiny thrill of excitement at the hate present in those eyes, this creature had singled him out, glaring at him as if its gaze alone could make him drop dead on the deck, to atone for its dead friends. It looked like it was trying to threaten him, and it finally clicked as to why Kavo had come to back him up, Axel had just vaguely assume the Karcaon had done it to keep the crew off his back. But no, this thing despite being the one captured, still looked like it was trying to pick a fight. It was intriguing in short. Cute even, if the circumstances weren't so filled with blood and gore.

Clearing his throat, he tried addressing the Sirens, hoping it might get them to stop injuring themselves. Despite killing one of their friends literally moments ago, he didn't currently want these ones dead, they'd sell more alive.

"Ahem. You things speak english?" The Captains voice always had a hiss to it, but this time it sounded like he was trying to hold back a chuckle. The crew continued to watch, some looking confused, others with their eyes widening in understanding. The show was about to begin.

As the sun set behind them, Silver-Tongue couldn't help but feel like the universe was trying to give him the appropriate lighting. After all, didn't all monsters come out after dark? His smirk grew wider, until he could taste blood from his cracked lips.

(…This was not what I meant to write, but we're going with it! Excuse my blatant self-insert in the second paragraph lol, I just know I'd get myself killed by all of my characters in a heartbeat if I ever met them T^T Morally grey? What's that?)