Untitled Pirate rp

"She spoke," was Scarlet's simple answer. Her mind was racing now. She was hardly paying attention to the prisoner in front of her.

A wind spirit, eh? That could be useful. Very useful.

"All right, let's make a deal. I won't let my men kill you. You stay here, under my command, where you will have work and food. In return, you let me use this wind spirit of yours."

Because with a wind spirit at my side, no ship will be able to get away when I come after it.

"I can't make a deal on her behalf" Oswald said. "I will need to speak with her before I give you an answer. And I have to warn you, no one can really control her. She does what she wants and the best you can do is convince her that what you want is also what she wants. If you try to make her do something she doesn't want to do... have you ever tried sailing against the wind?"

Captain Scarlet rolled her eyes. "I get it. Fine. If I go to retrieve your bow, how can you guarantee me that it won't send me flying off my own ship?"

"The only way I can guarentee that is if you take Me to her," Oswald said with nostalgic chuckle.

"All right," Captain Scarlet said with a begrudging sigh. "We'll let you go...speak with her."

The other pirate unlocked the cell then cuffed Oswald's hands with manacles. He was then led up to the deck and over to the corner of the ship where the bow still lay, seemingly having gone untouched in Captain Scarlet's absence.

By this point, the Andromeki had successfully made its way back to where the merchant vessel had dropped its cargo and the men were currently gathering up what they could and sending it down the cargo hold below. At least I've managed this small victory, Scarlet thought.

"All right, speak," she said out loud, gesturing over to the bow before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Har, har, har, ye mangy sea dogs are afraid to touch a little bow..." Gale said to no one in particular.

"I see you're enjoying yourself," Oswald said as he knelt beside her.

"I've got the wind in me sails Mr. Zephyr."

"And I've got some news that might change that. I was right, these pirates are, in fact, blood thirsty thugs. They said that they wouldn't kill me as long as I convinced you to help them."

"They haven't got the keel fer it..."

"Normally I would agree, but Big Red back there..." Oswald gestured toward the captain. "I'm pretty sure you're the only reason she hasn't ripped my throat out with her teeth."

"They'll sunder me sails and shatter me mast." Gale sounded almost worried.

"Not if you don't let them," Oswald said with a gentle smile.

Gale was silent for a moment. "Any port in a storm, me hearty."

Oswald stood up and turned to the captain. "She's in. But she says that you have to let her stay with me. She's worried you'll kill me when she isn't looking."

"I can promise you I won't," Captain Scarlet said sincerely. Then she added, "Not unless you give me a good reason to. Also, why does she keeping talking like that? No pirate has spoken like that in many, many years."

"She's talking like that because she thinks it's funny," Oswald said. "She'll stop when she's bored with it."

The ship shook and swayed beneath their feet. Oswald jumped on top of Gale to make sure she didn't slide off of the deck.

"SHIVER ME TIMBERS!" Gale shouted.

Captain Scarlet rolled her eyes. She was tempted to throw them both overboard, but she didn't want to piss of a wind spirit. Especially one that could take down a sea monster with one hit. She sighed. Whether she liked it or not, Gale would be super helpful to her and her crew, so it was in her best interest to use her. For now.

Thankfully, the quartermaster walked up to her to just then, "Captain. We've just hauled the last of the cargo to the hold. Shall we make our way back to port?"

"Indeed. Give this one," she jerked her head at Oswald, "something to do. And make sure he convinces the wind spirit to help us on our way home. I'll be down in my quarters. I need a drink."

The golden eagle turned his fierce gaze to Oswald. "What can I have you do...? Oh, I know just the thing. You can swab the decks." He smiled and before Oswald could protest, he walked off to tell the man at the helm to direct them to port.

Before the captain could reach the door to her quarters the ship shook again. A loud knock came from below deck.

(Uh oh...What have you got planned...? Also, I wasn't aware from the previous post the amount of shaking and swaying was something to worry about. I just thought it was the normal sway of the ship and Gale was being overly dramatic/annoying on purpose xP)

Captain Scarlet threw out her hands to catch herself on the door. What the hell...? Are we under attack again?! She met eyes with Mr. Finch. He looked just as confused as her.

A Tendril shot up on the port side and gripped the railing, another followed it, and another, and another. Tendrils flooded the midsection of the Andromeki's main deck. They grasped at whatever they could, be it ship, cargo, or crew. The ship jolted to starboard and the sound of splitting timbre blanketed the sea as the creature bit a hole in the side of the ship. All the while, it's one good eye stared at balefully at the captain. It pulled back, dragging a crate of spice, a few yards of railing, and a couple of crew down into the sea.

Thankfully the new hole is above the waterline.

Captain Scarlet stared back at the monster.

"You're foolish to come back." She looked back at Oswald and waved impatiently at him. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take the shot!"

---

Meanwhile, the crew was so focused on the monster, they failed to notice the large ship that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

The captain raised his spyglass to his eyes and scanned the deck of the ship, stopping at Oswald. He grinned.

"Found you."

"For starters," Oswald raised his hands. They were still bound. "And second, I can't shoot it if it's under water."

(Wasn't it technically underwater before? xP)

Captain Scarlet sighed in exasperation but undid his bindings anyways.

The rest of the crew were watching her, awaiting her direction.

"I don't like it, but I guess we're going to have to agitate it a little to bring it up out of the water some more," she said. "Ready the cannons and fire on my command."

The men started to move, but then someone pointed to port.

"Captain, there's another ship!"

The ship they saw was huge-at least twice the size of the Andromeki. The crew started to cheer. It seemed they were going to be saved.
Strangely, as the ship drew near, they could hear singing. It took them a few seconds to realize that the voices seemed to flow from the new ship itself. Stranger still, as the singing continued, the sea monster slowly relinquished its grip on the Andromeki before silently slipping back into ocean. As it disappeared beneath the waves, the singing, distinctly feminine but sad and ominous, slowly faded away.

The crew on board the Andromeki began to cheer, for it seemed as though these newcomers had saved them. But Captain Scarlet felt that something was not quite right about the strangers.

Oswald stared up at the new ship. "That's a big ship to be sailing in out of nowhere," he said cautiously. "I hope that's not a siren's song."

The new ship came up on the Andromeki's broadside, running parallel to it. Gangplanks were dropped, and the crew was allowed to walk across, their captain in the lead, and board the Andromeki. Captain Scarlet noted they dressed well, crossing off the idea that they could have been pirates. The captain was human and tall, about as tall as Scarlet herself who was easily the tallest member of her crew. His hair was long and dark, with a braided beard reaching down to his upper chest. His attire was nearly entirely black, apart from his long coat which was gilded with gold and from the way it sparkled in the light, Scarlet could tell it was real gold. Only royalty or someone supremely rich could afford to wear something like that.

The pirates were weary and most had hands resting on weapons as the captain in black strode across the deck to where Captain Scarlet and Oswald were standing. He seemed to be entirely unaware or unconcerned about the eyes that followed that followed, however, and his strides were confident.

Scarlet approached him to meet him halfway, "Thank you sir. I don't know how you did it, but you saved us from that devil of a sea monster. Without you, we surely would have been...goners..." Her voiced trailed off as the captain in black strode right past her, not even glancing her way, and stopped in front of Oswald.

"I'll be taking that now, thank you," he said in a deep voice, holding his hand out to Oswald, palm facing up. When Oswald just stared, he repeated in a more firm voice, "Now. Please." He pointed to Oswald's feet where Gale lay, then his hand made the "gimme" sign before resting palm face up once more.

Oswald picked up Gale. "Do we know this joker?" He asked.

"Never seen him before in my life," Gale answered.

"Sorry stranger, we don't know you. And you've been very rude to my captain."

As the two ships pulled side by side, a curious observer watched from below. Rowing his dinghy slowly toward them, he mused out loud to himself.
"That seems interesting. I should go and take a look. And ask for a map."

The captain in black to a long breath, preparing to launch into a speech he had given many times before.

"You don't know me, but I know you. My name is Captain Nero. For the last decade I have been on a search to find and capture all of the elemental spirits from all corners of the world. Earth, fire, water...and air. This wind spirit here, Gale I believe it likes to call itself, is the last one I need." He turned to Captain Scarlet, acknowledging her for the first time. "This man is under your command, yes? Hand him and his wind spirit over to me and I will reward you handsomely." He gestured over to his ship, then his outfit. "It must be clear to you that I am rich beyond your wildest dreams. Help me, and I will happily indulge my wealth with you. I presume you were going to use this wind spirit to aid you on your travels, yes? With the reward I offer, you would be able to settle down for a nice, long, peaceful life. No more troublesome fellows like this one, eh?" With this statement, Captain Nero jabbed an elbow at Oswald and winked.

The offer was very, very tempting. Captain Scarlet could see no reason to turn him down. Looking around at her crew, she could see from their expressions that they wanted her to accept his offer. But she hesitated. A question was ringing in the back of her mind like an alarm bell-just why exactly did he need to gather up all of these elemental spirits? Scarlet was never one to care for magic, and never bothered to read too much into it, which was risky due to the possibility of running into a magic wielder and not knowing how to protect oneself against it could lead to death. But Scarlet was a pirate. Her entire life was a risk. Still, something bothered her about his whole thing.

Captain Nero seemed to be growing impatient with her silence and shifted on his legs, his smile faltering, ever so slightly, for a brief moment.

---

Someone hadn't failed to notice the newcomer's appearance. From up on deck of the large ship next to the Andromeki, amidst the shadows cast by the sails and figure hidden by a long cloak with a hood, they watched with mild interest as a small dingy slowly made its way towards the two ships.

Oswald looked at Gale and they both began laughing hysterically.

The stranger in the longboat whistled a tune to himself as he rowed over to the two ships. Looking between the two, he gave a light shrug and chose the smaller of the two. Grabbing a thick book in one hand and a grappling hook in the other, he tossed the hook upward, finding purchase on one of the lower decks. Still whistling, he began to climb up with one hand, letting the boat slowly float away.

Captain Scarlet narrowed her eyes at Oswald and Gale. After a few more moment's deliberation, she finally said, "Fine. Take them."

Captain Nero grinned wider than ever, showing off perfectly polished white teeth. "Great!" He rubbed his hands together, facing Oswald and Gale, a greedy glint in his eye. "Sorry, but you're coming with me." He snapped his fingers and his men immediately came marching forward to apprehend Oswald and Gale. One of them carried a black cloth that shimmered strangely. Two more carried a large black chest.

"Now, don't even think about resisting, Gale, because this cloth here was specially made to absorb and negate any sort of magic you try to do."

Captain Scarlet and her crew watched from the sidelines, oblivious to the presence of the stranger that was climbing up the side of the Andromeki.

Oswald jumped and a gust of wind carried him to mainyard (the lower crossbar of the main mast).
"If that is how you plan to take her away, then I find it hard to believe that you have any of the other three. If you have them then you should know by now just how temperamental the spirits can be. You aren't the first person who has tried to take Gale away from me, and you won't be the last. I will make you the same offer I make the rest. Walk away before this gets ugly. I don't want to scrub your face off the main deck."

Oswald pulled back on Gale's bowstring. A great rushing of wind could be heard as the bow gathered the force into an arrow.

"This'll go through you and shatter your ship at the water line."

The stranger hung off the side of the ship, gasping for breath while holding onto the grappling line. He no longer had the strength to pull himself up, especially not with one hand. "Man, this really sucks. Really should have thought this through. How do I get up?" He asked no one in particular. Hefting the tome in his hand, he gave his arm a few swings, using the weight of the book to swing the rope along. His fatigued arm hung limply, but he still held on with all he could. With a grunt of effort, he managed to swing himself up and over the mooring bitts onto the main deck. He stumbled to his knees, dropping the book with a loud thud and faceplanting on the deck.