Thread: A Dead Captain’s Tail (Starcaller and incendonocturne)

The crew of The Hellish Harlot worked tirelessly that night. Captain Edwin Payne had been hot on the heels of his most recent endeavor. And all knew that when the Captain wanted something, the Captain had it. His eyes, calm much unlike the waters that rocked his terrifying ship, watched as his loyal crew worked as one to best the waves that threatened to turn his beloved vessel over. The Captain needed not waste air to shout or scream at them. Each and every one of them knew that there was no fury greater than the Captain's. Not even the Gods'. For why would they then defy the Sea God in an attempt, some would have said, a foolish attempt, to capture one of His precious daughters? For that was what mermaids were. The Sea God's cherished daughters, His creation. Their beauty surpassed imagination and their song had so often dragged hapless enamored sailors to the depths of the sea, where their bones rested even now. But not even bones would be left of those who would be so daring to try and abduct one of the Sea God's daughters. And neither the crew, nor the Captain, feared that. And never would they, not under the leadership of such a stubborn and strong captain. Under his command, the crewmen feared nothing. Not death, not gods. But they feared him. And Edwin used that to keep them all under his control. He stood, unmoved by the rocking of the ship, hands behind his back and attentive eyes scrutinizing the lower deck upon which the sailors moved like an organized chaos. Captain, mermaids on our starboard! The watcher from the crow's nest shouted above all other voices, capturing the attention of the quiet man who had seemed all but detached from the moment at hand up until now. His head turned to regard the announcer, the scar right under his right eye -a poor attempt of a military sailor of dueling him- twisting with the slight smile that curved his lips and moved those otherwise stone-like facial features. Edwin returned his attention to the crew and, without much effort, he shouted, his voice booming and attracting the attention of everyone, even of his second-in-command who was in the middle of that entire mass of people moving about the lower deck. Bring the net, lads! The victory was his, he knew it. Even as the seas stirred with such fury, he remained unmoved and continued to watch as his loyal men began the process of tossing the rather heavy and large net into the water. The skies broke at once and rain fell like a waterfall as the cries underwater echoed above it. Within seconds, the storm seemed to have hit its full potential, large, violent waves crashing against the ship aggressively, throwing water overboard. Thunders rumbled in the skies that darkened within moments, covering the orange glow of the moon that seemed to have created a path on the water. We caught one! A voice cried, causing the Captain's lips to draw into a grin. Captain, the storm has become too dangerous! The steersman's voice was heard through the whole chaos, on the background of voices that yelled and cried all at once to coordinate themselves in the effort of pulling the net from the agitated waters. Edwin turned, and while the mad rocking of the ship had an effect on his walking, too, he still walked straight, as if he was somehow part of the ship. The steersman stepped away from the steering wheel, allowing the Captain to take control. Meanwhile, on the lower deck, the shouting and cries never ceased as the sailors tried their best to pull the full net over the board, all while from under the water the net was being dragged, no doubt by the siren's sisters who tried in vain to set her free. The ship threatened to be swallowed by the waves in any second and yet the Captain kept his composure and the iron grip he had on the steering wheel. We got her! Cried a voice, covered immediately by a bellowing, as if the entire sea around them had cried out in rage at losing one of its inhabitants. The Captain handed the steering wheel over to the steersman and commanded as he headed down below the deck. Bring her to me. Trystan came awake all of a sudden, eyes opening to glare at the ceiling above. There was sweat on his forehead, almost as if he had just been in the rain. The echoes of the dream replayed in his mind, so vivid, as if just moments ago he had been standing on a deck in the middle of a storm, watching sailors struggle. A turn of his head revealed the open window through which he could so clearly see the sea. And in the moonlight, as the moon slowly descended into the water, casting a path of light upon the surface, he could see it. The old shipwreck's frame, a mast standing erect as if trying to reach the skies. It had always intrigued him as a child and as a teenager and now, Trystan took anyone who wanted to visit it on tours. But he dearly wished to, one day, discover the ship's tragic story. With those thoughts whirling through his mind, he fell asleep again, letting himself fall into the world of dreams once again.