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

Started August 25, 2022 by @ScotchTapeWorm group

tune

Kavo kept a steely eyed stare at the water just off the bow. They were still on the same course, but something had bumped the hull. Normally, he would have assumed it was some piece of flotsam, just floating on the oceans surface, but then it happened a second time. He'd scuttled to look over the side, leaning over the railing a bit to get a good look at the water. He watched for a few seconds, before his eyebrows rose, and he scrambled back to the wheel to adjust.
Would have been nice to know we were in rocky waters…
He tilted a couple levers, adjusting the weight in the boat so that the prow angled upwards. That way, if they hit anything he couldn't dodge, the ship would glance off sideways instead of cracking the timbers and sinking them. He adjusted their speed, very minimally slowing down, and made sure he could see over the bow.
Karcaon didn't have spectacular hearing, and it was one of their well-known weaknesses. They could be snuck up on quite easily by a quiet person. However, they were able to hear ultra low noises that many other people could not.
Like the distinctive rumbling of magic in the air.
Most people didn't even know it existed. When magic was in play, there was a low rumble, a byproduct of all the power being exerted. Some species could feel it, but Karcaon could hear it.
Kavo heard that particular sound, and was immediately wary. No matter how strong he was, magic users were always extremely dangerous, and if they were in the area of some, here on the open ocean, that could only mean a couple things.
The captain emerged from below deck to stand looking out over the ocean. He barked some orders, and the crew responded, but he seemed preoccupied by something., Kavo wondered if he could feel or hear the same thing. It was eerie, and he didn't like it, but the captain had a faint smile on his face, so….
He decided to trust his boss.

Silver-Tongues nostalgia again washed over him, swaying softly in rhythm to the ship. A part of him knew he should be working, alerting Kavo of the dangers of the area, getting his men in order, and generally being a good Captain. But something about the dimming light and the familiar sound of the ocean made the Captain relax, a genuine smile creeping onto his face. His hands rested ever so gently on the railings and the Captain allowed his eyes to close for half a moment, lulled by the sound of the waves.

His scales started to itch.

Again, call it a sailors superstition, a wives tale told again and again until all meaning an semblance of history was lost to retellings. But Silver-Tongue trusted only two things in the world. Gold and himself. And right now 'himself' was telling him something was wrong. The soft smile gone, a dangerous scowl replaced its nicer cousin. He pulled up a hand, scratching at his neck, looking around with far more suspicion. He tasted the air, only smelling the ship, the salty air, and what seemed like.. Fish?

Ooh i bid farewell to the port and the land~

When the music started, all muscles in the pirate captains body relaxed, the familiar song, the oceans calling, it just seemed so.. Right. That was what made him suspicious. His scales continued to itch, a feeling close to burning, like something trying to burrow its way into his flesh, slipping past the skin but not the harder layer of scale. Trying to pry them up, burn and sear and claw its way into the soft flesh.

And i swim away from Great England's sands-

More voices joined the first and the Captain finally stood at full attention, back straightening, hands instinctively twitching to the guns strapped to his thighs. The men were starting to notice as well, eyes that had once been bright and fresh, turning to half-lids, dreamy smiles beginning to form on some faces. Axel's mind began to race, he hadn't expected this but.. What the hell. He wouldn't complain,. His prey had come to him.

-to search for my long ago forgotten friends…

He could feel the longing bloom in his chest, a deadly rose with more thorns than petals waiting underneath. It tugged at him, calling to him. A few men began to drop their ropes, looking around. A confused voice called from the crow's nest, asking what was going on, the man too far away to hear the alluring song.

To search for the place I hear all sailors end

Will was not something Silver-Tongue ever thought himself in short supply of, but as the chorus grew, rising and falling with the swell of the waves, more voices joining in, he found himself being tested. Violet eyes widening.. His mouth had gone dry and he looked at his men, starting to walk to the edges…

As the souls of the dead fill the space of my mind
I'll search without sleeping 'til peace I can find

Calm hands twitched closer and closer to his guns..

I fear not the weather, I fear not the sea
I remember the fallen, do they think of me?

Unholstered, both Greed and Avarice shone in the bloodred light, deadly and beautiful. Twin guns, each a mirror of the other, and both expertly made and crafted. He raised both to the sky, finger on the triggers…

When their bones in the ocean forever will be- BANG

The gunshot rang out, echoing in the sailors ears, deafening the crew he stood so close to. While deadly, the twin pistols were made specifically to deafen, a noise so loud it could be heard from the whole ship. It was made specifically to order. If someone died, the Captain wanted everyone to know it. Standing not even a foot away, he could see some of the crew clutching their ears, letting out cry's of pain.

Raising his voice to a deafening yell, the Captain had a grin that split his face from ear to ear, his violet eyes were dark and excited at the prospect of a hunt. He looked around wildly, seeing several men blink at each other, confused expression plastered on their faces. Silver-Tongue wanted to curse at them for being slow, but they didn't have time.

"NETS! I want NETS and HARPOONS readied NOW!" The Captain grabbed a blonde man, screaming the command into his ear for good measure. He could practically see the burst ear-drums.. His grin widened. Feet shifted and slow realization was dawning over the gathered pirates.

"GO-" He fire off the guns again, sending the men scattering in different directions. The Captain himself raced off to a higher position, craning his neck to stare at the churning water.

Inez's memory was strange. The voices of her family were completely gone. She wouldn't be able to remember how to handle a gun if it meant saving a life. But what she did have- undoubtedly- was stories. Namely, folktales. So when she heard the soft hum of the ocean, instinct brought her back to the tales of Sirens. Though, soon what she heard became more than a soft hum. Panicked and confused, her head whipped around. She saw her captain in clear distress- that wasn't right. No, something was very wrong. As the call grew louder, she felt herself trembling. Inez herself didn't know whether it was the fault of magic or her own fear.

Knees weaker, she looked towards where her weapon would be- behind that door, on the other side of the Deceit.

BANG

Adrenaline kicking in Inez could make out orders barked. Coming to her senses, Inez began running, running wildly to wherever she'd left the sword.

The air was thick with the magic and the aura, creeping back in with her hearing. Gunshots kept ringing out, filling Inez's ears with a deafening ring. Sirens. Was that the intention of Captain Silver-Tongue, to deafen the others? As she looked at her blade, an instinctual thing for her- since, on the streets, it could have been desireable- her eyes went to her other hand, the gauze. Blood. She took no time to contemplate whether or not it would have been safe to get closer to the sirens, it really didn't matter anymore.

"go"
"GO"
"…GO!!"

And 'go' she would. A vicious smile crossed her, at the thrill of what should be a good fight.

The Deceit had been able to hold a steady course, not needing to juke as many rocks as Kavo had feared. The Captain was still standing, looking out to sea, and Kavo was about to call out and ask about a specific heading, when Silver-tongue turned and scowled. Kavo wasn't sure why, until-

Voices. Singing. Beautiful melodies and sweet harmonies. Chords to bring tears and light voices to soothe. Music, the language of the soul, laced with magic to overwhelm the mind.

Kavo couldn't hear the words clearly, just the voices, but that was enough. He was enchanted, drawn, pulled toward the source of that gorgeous music. His grip loosened on the helm, his pincers relaxed, and he took a small step towards the side of the ship, his eyes glazing over…

BANG

Kavo blinked, one of his hands on the ship railing, ready to jump over. The loud noise hurt his ears, but it mostly jerked his mind out of the stupor it has been slipping into. There was a very slight ringing, but under it, Kavo could still hear the low hum of magic, and it hit him. You idiot.
He scrambled back to the helm, which hadn't drifted, and reset himself. It's got to be Sirens. Magic and music? How could I have let that get me?
He watched as the crew reacted to the Captains orders, some running for weapons, others readying the bow gun, loading it with a decent sized harpoon, others grabbing the netting they used for various jobs and prepping it. The pistols went off again, and he flinched a little. But the loud noise was better than being duped by the singing, which even now tugged at his heart and threatened to pull him in to its murky depths.

( We all know Kavo is currently keeper of the only braincell on The Deceit )

(This is hilarious, I considered having him not be affected by the sirens, which would be more of this, but. Then I started writing and, well, see above 😅😅)

( also kavo, i like a good grounded character as much as i do a chaotic one :D)

(I should say, I appreciate this take :) )

The call of the Sirens was so alluring, it stroked gently at your mind, letting itself in like an old friend, before stabbing you in the back, all while smiling sweetly. Like the big bad wolf to little red riding hood. The song promised you things you wanted, a lovers embrace, peace, comfort, sleep, any material possession you could dream of. People often described it differently, the voices may sound like a long dead loved one, crying out for help, others heard the promise of riches or fame in the song, leading them closer, their greed and compassion pulling tight around their neck like a silk noose. Soft, yet still so deadly.

Perhaps that why, even as he listened, the Captain felt the pull at his soul, urging him, moving his thoughts to all the things he wanted. The Captain already had the flame of greed lit inside of him long ago, he'd accumulated everything he could, gathered it all to him because it brought him satisfaction. It was his own pride that kept him from running over the edge, his hands still white knuckled on his guns, how dare these creatures offer him what was already rightfully his to take? How dare they promise him what was already his? How dare they try to take his men? It angered him more than he had words to say, a beast that prowled, yearning to be released.

As he hung from the rigging, the Captain could see the water. Churning and moving at a frantic pace, it seems they'd run into a whole pack of the monsters. The vicious grin still locked on his face, a Cheshire cat moments away from eating the canary. The singing continued, the sirens call ensnaring a few who hadn't had their ears blasted out by yours truly. The minute the men leaped from the ship into the water, they were dragged down by welcoming arms. Onlookers soon to be greeted by the water darkening, the waves thrashing even more violently as the pack of sirens went into a frenzy, like sharks, but with the faces of angels.

Some of the crew in a panic fired off blind shots into the water at anything that moved. It was hard to tell if anything was hit from the blood already saturating the water, floating to the surface along with the last air bubbles of the unfortunates who were dragged down. Silver-Tongue released his hold on the ropes, dropping to the deck with a dull thud. With urgent hands he helped some of the men with the nets, fishing nets that were reinforced with steels, terribly heavy, but incredibly hard to get through, even with a dagger, or teeth as sharp as one.

As an added, wicked bonus, the necks had nasty barbs inbedded in them, they would be truly horrible for fishing, as the catch would kill itself before being hauled up, but a human sized being or more caught in one of these? The more they thrashed the further they would get stuck, tangling up in absolute agony. A few men were eyeing the waters suspiciously, harpoons in their hands as if they were warding off sharks from the boat. Occasional stabs in the dark either bore fruit or didn't. It was a bloodbath either way.

Helping with the nets was tricky, you kept having to make sure you weren't holding onto a barb. A splash from the water sprayed onto the ship, it was a thick pinkish color, made even more crimson by the dying light. The Captain wiped his face, grinning like a madman, as they finally hauled the massive thing overboard, directly into the dark, churning mass of Sirens. He yelled at his men to keep going with violet eyes flashing in the light, dark and slightly crazed with all the excitement. He looked insane, with blood water trickling down from his hair, he looked alive.

They'd bring the nets back up when they knew they'd caught something. If it survived bringing brought on the deck.

Inez ran aimlessly towards wherever the action was. Blood spattered her face, hopefully masking the wound on her hand. She loved the feeling, mysteriously. Maybe it was, again, the thrill of a good fight. But, no- heart pounding with excitement, a feeling spreading to her throat and very core. It was lovely, gorgeous. It was too much.

Dropping to her knees, Inez felt a comforting chill and warmth across her weakened body, both at once. Like a soothing, yet exhilarating, lovely, sickly-sweet beautiful fever. The boat continued to rock, but this couldn't shake her. Inez gripped the railing for her equilibrium, but her hands felt weak and unnecessary. It was a shock she still had her weapon, but any memory of how it appeared in her hand faded. She looked up at the red sky, then to the purple-ish water, calling.

clatter
Something slipped out of her hand, like the aftermath of a dream.

The previous fuzziness and the sleepy mix of body temperature subsided, an intense, flaming, burning sensation. Working just to keep breathing, working not to hyperventilate. Going from barely breathing, to gasping, to laughing. Blood circulating faster, faster through her veins felt like panic and excitement. She was likely bleeding again, but why care? Grinning like a royal idiot, laughing hysterically, the water looked cooling; like it might heal the girl from her feverish state like a panacea. About to lift herself, Inez quickly found that she couldn't- The sensation across her body and spirit was so much, too much. Enough to kill.