Fantasy Between the Devil & the Deep [1x1 - Trompe lOeil / DigitalPopsicle]

[DigitalPopsicle]

Between the Devil & the Deep

The Black Baron wasn't a very large ship by any means. Bigger ships required bigger crews, and getting a crew you could rely on these days was few and far between. Every pirate at the end of the day was only out for themselves, and pirates were becoming more selfish and greedy with every generation. IT was why they were getting caught more often, and commonfolk spoke of piracy finally dying out.

Captain Xavier Darkwind was determined to be the exception to that case. His crew were mostly reliable. A few trustworthy individuals who had followed him for years were among them, but he had to admit his crew now was made up of far too many new faces that didn't respect him as their captain.

As proven when he told them they were going to catch a mermaid and they scoffed in disbelief.

"A mermaid? Yer fuckin' jokin' me." A particularly rough and nasty member of his ship had laughed, coughing spittle all over as he did so. He wasn't exactly pleasant.

"Nay, I'm not." Xavier met his disbelieve with a smug smile, arms folded across his chest as he stared down at his crew from the wheel. "You fellas have no idea just how much they're worth. Even a few scales or a couple of tears can fetch a very pretty penny. I know a few buyers who are desperate for them, and are willing to pay anything to get their hands on them."

It had taken an annoying amount of convincing, but eventually they set sail for their chosen venture. Enough rumours had flown around various ports and piers they had sailed around recently that he had an idea where to begin. Tales of ships with unruly crew members, or captives they needed to get rid of, always spoke of rocky coral shores and shallow waters which were dangerous to tread, but if you moored in the right place then the Mers would do your work for you; throw them overboard and they'd be gone without a single piece left.

The yellow bellied low lives of his crew had now idea how deadly Mers could be. They had probably only heard of the beautiful ones, the women who lured sailors into the waters with hypnotic and beautiful faces. They ignored the parts where they drowned men for fun, or tore them apart to feed to their young.

There was one island in particular that fit the description Xavier had heard, and with that in mind they set sail for it. His navigator did a very good job at staying just clear of the corals that threatened to tear into the Baron, just out of the shallow waters that could mean their doom if they went too close. The island itself was quite small, practically barren save for a couple of trees and some bushes, however the majority of its landmass was under the water. The shallows stretched almost a mile around the mound of sand, treacherous for the inexperienced sailor who didn't know to look for such things. The wooden wreckage strewn about in the ocean below them was enough evidence of that.

Fishing nets were lowered and the order was to simply sit and wait until they spotted something. Everyone was to be on high alert watching the waters, taking shifts to ensure things were kept an eye on even overnight. "If we don't catch anything on the first day then we'll start thinkin' of what to use as bait." Xavier explained, highly tempted to use one of the more unruly members of his crew as a live lure for their prey, not that he voiced that thought out loud.

All they could do now was sit and wait.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Kas liked this spot.

The coral was bright and colorful, and it was teeming with little fish he could tease and snack on. The stretch of sand that surrounded the island was fun to play in, and the sun warmed the shallows. It felt nice on his back, reaching through the gentle waves to embrace him. Kas and many people of his tribe liked to come here. And while they knew that humans must know that, too, judging by the wreckage of ships that dotted the sand, that same wreckage was proof that it was difficult for humans to get here. They warned children not to come here, but if was difficult to keep them away. Sometimes there interesting things in the wrecks, shiny coins, devices they'd never seen before. They settled for at least forbidding anyone from coming here alone.

Kas was not alone. And he wasn't a child. There were three of them in the area, he thought, but he couldn't be sure. Was it his job to keep up with the whereabouts of everyone? All he knew was that there was one young mermaid, Mila. He knew because she'd brought him a shell, and he'd helped her lure an eel out of its hiding place. It had been fun. Eels were funny.

The ship had been there when he'd surfaced. Not the biggest ship he'd seen, nor the closest. But the first he'd seen in these waters. Kas knew from the splinters of ships that humans must come here, but he'd never seen one until now. It was a bad sign, he thought. Humans were dangerous. Not in the water -- in the water they were soft, effortless to kill -- but they were cruel. Kas hoped that this ship was on its own. That these humans didn't tell their friends about this island. There was nothing on it for humans, anyway. Just sand and reef.

He also hoped that one or two of them fell over the side. That would be fun. He could drag a body back home; one human could feed multiple people. Kas was no good at luring men into the water, which had always irked him. Was he not pretty enough? No, he was going to stay well away from the ship, and if he saw a splash, then he'd risk getting closer.

That plan didn't factor in Mila, though. Kas had lost sight of her awhile ago. He didn't find her again until he ducked back under the water, and then he realized that she was swimming toward the ship. "Mila!" he said, in their language. "Careful."

"I'm just going to lure one," she said, looking at him over her shoulder. "I've never tried it before."

"What? No. Take an elder if you're going to do that. Or at least wait for dark."

"It'll be fine! Aura got one last week, she said it was easy."

Aura is an adult, and a great white, Kas thought, but he'd given up reasoning with her. Teenagers, or something. He took off toward her and the ship, weaving his way past fingers of reef, around rotten bits of wood. He'd just grab her and bring her home. And warn people about the ship.

As he neared the ship, he caught sight of something floating in the water, and his stomach dropped. Nets. "Mila!" he called. He wasn't far from her now. In short stretches like this, he was deadly fast. "Stop! Nets!"

To her credit, Mila did stop. And Kas did catch up to her, grabbing her shoulder, mindful of his claws. They were close to the ship, too close, but they wouldn't be for long. "Sorry," Mila said, eyes wide.

"It's fine." Kas looked toward the nets, tilting his head up, wishing he could see past the water's surface. "Just go. Tell Solan. I'm going to stay here, keep an eye on them."

Mila nodded. "Okay. I'll be fast. Be careful, okay?"

Kas grinned. "Always am."

 

[DigitalPopsicle]

"Captain! I can see something!" Caien, the first mate, yelled to the captain's quarters, prompting Xavier to hop up from his afternoon nap in his hammock to dart to the side of the ship where their nets were thrown.

"Where is it?" He demanded, trying not to shout lest he scare their prey away, squinting to see anything under the blue water.

"Just below the nets, they're shining in the sun." The firstmate joined him, pointing towards a faint shape hovering just underneath the trap they'd set. Xavier cursed under his breath. Damned things were a little too smart to simply be caught like fish.

"So they're here at least." The dark haired man muttered, idly chewing on one of his rings in thought, teeth clicking against the green rock. "The rumours were right, there's mers in these waters."

"What are we gonna do, Cap'n?" Caien questioned, eyeing up the crew milling around behind them. Some had stopped to peer over the side where they were looking, some pretending they weren't at all interested or believed they had even seen something. It was clear his firstmate didn't trust the crew just like he did.

"Leave them down for now, lest we scare 'em away." Xavier sighed, golden eyes fixed on the shapes in the water. "See if any of them come closer and whip up the nets the moment they do. We might have another we can just drop on one to tangle it if it gets close enough."

Caien nodded, returning to his station simply watching and waiting, readying himself to pull the ropes of the nets up at a moments notice. Smiling, Xavier clapped him on the shoulder and went about giving orders to drag up the weighted net from the storage below. That net was built with long ropes to hold at the side of the ship, but weights around the edge to pin down and tangle whatever it landed on. In hindsight they should've prepared it earlier but the Captain had hoped for an easy capture with one of them being foolish enough to come close.

"Alright men, we drop this the moment we get a good eye on those mermaids down there." He ordered, watching two of the crew pull up the heavy net to the deck. "We've got eyes on them now, we just need the perfect moment."

Grumbles were heard around the more unruly ones but Xavier paid them no mind. They'd get their gold at the next port and be off his ship soon enough anyway.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Kas kept his distance from the nets, eyeing them warily. There was only one thing that the humans could be fishing for with those nets, and that was merfolk. Sharks didn't come here, really, and the water was too shallow for schools of large fish. Not that this looked like a fishing boat, anyway. No, they were obviously hunting for merfolk, albeit ineptly. The whole thing offended Kas. Did the humans really think they were that stupid? That they'd just wander into a net for fun? Shouldn't they have a healthy respect for merfolk at this point? Kas had killed humans before. Almost all hunters had. They hadn't even put anything interesting in the nets; they'd just dropped empty nets, hoping someone would wander in. Idiots.

This was why Kas didn't feel any remorse about killing them. Humans were stupid and cruel. If they fell for simple tricks like singing or looking pretty, they deserved to die. But those nets galled him. The idea that they'd use them to try to lure merfolk to their deaths, however unsuccessfully, made Kas's blood boil. He had a temper, he'd be the first to admit that. Blood in the water, so to speak. He wanted to do something to those nets. That'd be funny, right? Put a hole in them, watch the humans curse as whatever they caught slipped out.

He had claws and sharp teeth. They'd cut through simple nets, he was almost certain. Kas was black-tipped shark, sleek and muscular. A born killer, with all the higher thinking of his human counterparts. Deadly in the water. He'd just...creep a little closer. Solan and his fighters were on their way, had to be. If anything happened, his people would be here soon. But nothing would happen. He'd be careful. Kas fixed his eyes on the closer net, diving deeper under the water so that he could approach it from the underside. No need to get tangled up inside it; he could simply bite the fibers from underneath them, shred them until they fell apart. And repeat that, further over, cutting a hole in the net. Served them right. No more folk-hunting for these bastards.

The net fell apart around his teeth and claws, his sharp, webbed fingers plucking at the strands until they were unusable. Kas worked carefully so as not to tug the net. With any luck, they wouldn't notice the hole until they tried to haul something up. Still, he was ready when they pulled the net up. He let go immediately, letting the net slip out of his fingers, uncaught. What he wasn't expecting was for another net to drop onto him, this one weighted with stones.

"Fuck! Shit!" Kas struggled against the ropes, but the weights made the net cling to him immediately, dragging him downward. There was no time, no time to avoid it, no way to slip out from underneath it. It dropped on him, and that was it. The weights pulled the net down over him, over his head, his shoulders, and then it was pulling him against the side of the ship. Kas lashed out in anger and desperation, trying to sever the ropes, but they were strong, and moving. He was pulled tight against the side of the ship, and then he was hauled upwards, towards the surface of the water.

He wasn't thinking anymore. All he felt was fear and anger, equal parts, as he was hauled up towards the ship. He kept struggling, his powerful tail lashing back and forth, but he was caught fast. "Bastards!" he snarled, but he'd broken the surface of the water, and all that came out was a series of clicks and chirps.

 

[DigitalPopsicle]

The net had been thrown as soon as they'd had a good visual on where the mer had been swimming. It was hard to see exactly what it was doing underwater but the fact was it was within perfect distance to throw the heavy ropes over the creature to snag it.

It was hefted aboard with somewhat of a struggle. The water had soaked into the ropes and made them heavy, and the mer certainly wasn't a light creature. Regardless between the crew they amanged to drag it aboard, throwing it onto the deck with little grace or care for its wellbeing.

"This ain't no mermaid!" One man cried out after a moment of silence as the crew took in the mer's appearance, practically snarling as he threw down the rope he held.

"No, gents, but it is a Mer." Xavier strode forwards, aiming to quell the bubbling argument as others angrily muttered between them. "It's still worth something."

The captain inspected their catch. Sharp teeth and claws were very obvious even at a quick glance. In a surreal and almost creepy way, it was beautiful, but he suspected in any other situation a person would have mere seconds to appreciate it before being torn apart if the weapons it sported were any indication.

It had a shark tail, so no scales to shave off, which was one less thing they could flog for money. He doubted they could make it cry either with how angrily it snarled at them all. Claws would be interesting if any of them broke off, but anyone can fake a mer-claw so there wasn't any value in them. The same went for its teeth, especially seeing as though they looked like generic shark teeth.

Sighing heavily, Xavier ran a hand through his long dark hair. The only way they'd get any money out of their catch would be if they kept the thing alive and brought it to port.

"God, it's ugly." The burly chef poked the mer through the net with what appeared to be a broom. "We ain't gonna get no money from that."

"Au contraire, we could get a lot from this creature if we keep it alive." Xavier fixed his charming smile on his face, gesturing for his crew to hoist the creature up so it hung in its binds instead of in a lump on the deck. "This is our ticket to a mountain of money, lads. I promise you."

"There ain't no way we can keep that thing alive all the way to the next port." The chef snarled again, turning a good stink-eye onto the tanned captain.

"And that's why I'm the captain, and you're the chef." Xavier smugly grinned again, chuckling. Sometimes you had to kick down their ego. "What I say goes, and I say that we take this Mer and peddle it off and make some money."

The grumbles from the crew clearly told him they weren't happy with that decision, but regardless they despersed, and Xavier was left by their captive prey alone. Caien was already instructing the navigator to set sail, leaving the captain alone with the Mer in the net.

Their eyes met, and Xavier laughed hollowly to himself. "Wouldn't be too mad if you ate one." He shook his head, before turning and taking a post by the wheel.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Despite his thrashing, Kas was dragged up the side of the ship, hauled over the rail, and dropped unceremoniously onto the deck. Ow. The hard wood of the deck bruised his ribs and shoulder when he dropped onto it, but that was the least of his worries. Fear and anger coursed through him, dulling the pain. He gasped, needing oxygen, and coughed as seawater and unfamiliar air entered his lungs. He was overwhelmed, tangled in the heavy, rough net. One of his arms was twisted up under him, and another was tangled in the net. When something poked his ribs, Kas snarled and twisted around, but he couldn't get to them. Shame.

Ugly? The words registered just enough for Kas to take offense at that. He wasn't ugly. Fearsome, maybe. But he had symmetrical human features and clear, tanned skin. Maybe they didn't like his tail. He had to admit that the grey-brown color wasn't the most beautiful, and his caudal and pectoral fins were built for power, not decoration. They were sleek and pointed, though, and they ended in black, matching his curly hair. If they'd been hoping for a pretty mermaid they could steal the scales off of, fine, they must be sorely disappointed. But Kas wasn't ugly. He'd show them ugly when he covered the deck with their blood.

Ow, ow. The net was hoisted up, the rough strands cutting into his torso and tail. It compressed his body tightly, making it difficult to breathe. Not that Kas had much experience with breathing in the first place. He thought about protesting, but he doubted it'd do any good. These people intended to sell him, apparently. Appealing to their morality clearly wouldn't help. Maybe it was better to play dumb. Pretend that he couldn't understand them, see if they said anything useful. They said they were planning to keep him alive, so that was something. Although they were doing a piss-poor job of that so far. If they wanted him to stay alive, they shouldn't hang him up in a net like this. At the very least he needed a barrel of water. And far more fish than they currently had aboard, probably.

Dull blue eyes swept the deck, searching for anybody brave enough to look him in the eye. He'd ended up sort of upright, his chest pressed against his tail, which was folded in front of him. Seawater dripped from him down onto the wood, running from his fins, the ends of his hair. Most of the crew had dispersed, grumbling about how he wasn't a mermaid, and now only one of them was looking at him. The captain, must be. Kas thought he'd said as much. And this had been his idea, apparently. This man had had the bright idea to capture a merperson to sell. The rest of his crew didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea, really. So he'd talked his men into an evil plan that they didn't agree with. Kas met this man's eyes, and decided that he hated him. It wasn't difficult.

Wouldn't be too mad if you ate one, the captain said, and he left. Fantastic. Kas was so glad to have the man's permission to kill his own crew. That's what he'd been waiting for, really, an invitation. Bastard. He left Kas out there in the sun, hanging up like so much meat. Kas glared at the man's back and waited for his chance. Sooner or later, one of them would get curious. He'd ready for them then.

It took an eternity. Kas lost track of how much time he spent hanging there, waiting. They'd set sail. He could tell because the wind changed, and eventually he caught sight of the little island, fading into the distance. He'd never been on a ship before -- obviously -- so the motion made him feel sick. Waves were one thing, but the lurching of the ship atop them was something else entirely, and the net he was hanging from swung with every little motion. The sun dried his tail and skin, and the salt residue that was left was rough and itchy. His complexion was darker, but if he was left in the sun for long enough even he would burn. And then there was the breathing. Kas hated it. It didn't feel natural to him. Every breath made his lungs expand and his ribs press against his tail, and every time he thought that he'd started to get the hang of it he'd become aware of his breathing again, and he'd have to try to put it back out of his mind. It was aggravating, and Kas was uncomfortable and pissed off, and he desperately wished that someone would approach him.

He got his wish at...some point. Hours later, it felt like, but time seemed to stretch and slow around him. Two men sidled up to him, one skinny, one fat. At least, he seemed fat to Kas. He wasn't sure what typical human body types were like. The men approached him carefully, talking about him. Kas gave no sign of listening or understanding. He didn't move at all, really, hoping to put them at ease. It worked. Idiots.

"Is it sick?" the skinny one asked.

"Don't think so. Just ugly." Despite this, the big one took a step closer to him, staring at him. There was a long white scar down the side of Kas's tail, which the man noticed as he got closer. "Maybe it is sick."

"'ere, poke it a little. Maybe it needs some convincing." Brave words from a man who wasn't willing to get any closer.

The bigger one nodded, stepped closer, and shoved him. Kas swayed in the net, away from him, and then closer.

And then bright blue eyes met the man's, and Kas smiled. His hand shot out to grab the crewman, yanking him closer by his shirt. Sharp claws cut through the man's stomach like it was nothing, pouring blood down his front. The man's eyes went wide, and he stumbled, but Kas held him fast. He fell into the net to be met by vicious, serrated teeth. Kas bit into his throat before he could scream, and he dropped down to the deck, twitching and bleeding. Blood dripped from Kas's teeth and chin as he smiled wide at the man's friend.

"M-murder!" the man howled, staggering back from the net. "It killed Seward!"

 

[DigitalPopsicle]

The wind in the sails and through his hair set Xavier a little more at ease once their task had been completed, but he couldn't relax a single bit regardless. Amongst his crew of twenty or more, he trusted perhaps two of them; Caien, his first mate, and Danae, his navigator. Everyone else hadn't been with the Black Baron long enough for him to even remotely trust them, and with how many of them shuffled around the deck either glaring at him or their newly caught prey showed that they didn't trust him in return.

The captain had left the Mer in the net to watch the ocean from the stern of the ship. They had what they needed, and the quicker they could get to a nearby port the better. In his mind, he was listing off things he could need to keep an eye on, jobs he would only give to those he fully trusted. Even he had to admit the unruly band of men he'd found to work his vessel were... to put it bluntly, they were shit.

They would probably be better off keeping the Mer damp but not wet. Too hydrated and it would have enough energy to escape or attack, too dry and it could die. There were too many who doubted the existence of such creatures for him to sell it in anything less than 'perfect' condition. It would be very hard work, but Xavier had no doubt that it would be worth it, even if the scum of his deck couldn't see that.

"Did you have a port in mind, Cap'?" Caien asked him, coming up to his side with a raised eyebrow, dagger close to hand. Even he was uneasy with the way things were going.

"Not really. Just the closest one. I could go to our usual merchant for such things, but I doubt we'd get that far with live cargo." Xavier sighed, eyes flicking to the island they were very slowly leaving behind. "Not with the way these bastards are behaving anyway."

His first mate just nodded, moving to pass the word on to their navigator. Xavier paid him no mind after that, trusting him to take care of the Baron for the moment.

Though the dark haired man was pulled from his thoughts by a loud howling scream.

Flinging himself to the balcony edge, Xavier peered below to find their chef Seward amidst a growing pool of red below their captive. The scream had alerted the rest of the crew, who instantly took to hitting and shooting the Mer with whatever they had to let the man go, or stop him attacking more people, he wasn't sure what their intentions were.

"Hey! Stop killing my bloody cargo!" Xavier snarled, leaping over the edge to land heavily on the deck below. The crew ignored him, yanking the corpse away from the savage Mer.

"Yer cargo? That beast ain't gonna be of any damn use to us!" A cabin boy shrieked at him, voice full of fear and anger as the rest of the crowd that had gathered shouted their agreements. At least they'd lowered their weapons, but he could see at least one bullet hole in the Mer swinging from the net, blood dripping from its teeth. It seemed pleased with itself.

"It's gonna kill all of us before we make it to port!" Another cry came from the men.

"Yeah! Throw it back over board!"

"Kill it! Tear it apart!"

"OY!" Xavier yelled, his voice carrying far more command and assurance than anyone speaking could possibly hope to, but the gang still didn't quieten, though the noise dimmed slightly. "This is my ship, and I say we're keeping the bloody thing. Seward was a fool getting too close to the damn creature, it's his own fault. Fuck's sake, someone grab a mop for this mess."

"Then you shouldn't be our captain no more."

That simple sentence had more power to silence the crowd than his orders did. Xavier turned cold gold eyes into a glare to face the man who dared defy him; Jason, a known trouble maker, with a toothless grimace and wonky eye.

"I beg your pardon, lad?" The captain strode forward, slowly, each bootstep on the deck a pronounced sound as his heel clicked on the wood.

"You heard me, 'sir'. If you're gonna put this thing over us when it could kill any one of us, you ain't got no right being our captain." Jason continued, squaring off against him, standing at full height to best match Xavier's towering six foot as best he could. What he lacked in height he made up for in girth.

"Yeah, fuck you!"

"This is our ship now!"

"Throw it overboard!"

"Throw them both overboard!"

Xavier didn't have much chance to protest as someone hit him on the back of his head with the butt of a rifle, causing him to drop to his knees as a wave of agony and disorientation crippled him. All of the sounds he heard felt so far away, from Caien's angry screams at them to stop, to the Mer's snarls as it was dropped unceremoniously to the deck. He struggled against the people grabbing him but there were too many hands, too many people....

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Killing that man had maybe not been the best idea. His skin had parted so easily around Kas's claws, and his blood smelled sweet to the half-shark. He felt a sick thrill of satisfaction. The man had more than deserved it, as far as Kas was concerned. None of them were innocent in this. He wouldn't be satisfied until all these humans lay dead on the deck, never to return to these waters.

It wasn't the killing he regretted. It was angering the crew. As angry men fell on him, hitting him with fists and tools, Kas became aware once again of just how vulnerable he was. There was nowhere to go, no way to avoid their blows. Even if he somehow got out of the net, he'd just be more exposed. It wasn't like he was very mobile on land, muscles or no. Kas snarled and swiped at the men who got too close, catching one in the shoulder, one across the cheek. After that they moved back, but it was only to ready guns. Fuck. Kas cried out as a bullet hit him in the side, white-hot pain lancing through his body. Didn't they want to keep him alive? Was he going to die here? Another bullet went through one of his fins. Red blood dripped from the net to mix with the dead chef's. Once again, he felt real fear.

And then the captain shouted, and they stopped shooting at him, which was something. Kas kept his teeth bared, unwilling to let them see his fear. If any of them got near him, he'd kill them. He'd kill them all. The only thing keeping them alive was this net they had him strung up in. Kas hated this net. He hated all these people. He could taste the man's blood on his teeth, and he liked it. He shouldn't have let the man fall. He should have eaten some of him.

They were arguing, it seemed. About what to do with him. Kill him. Throw him overboard. That got Kas's vote. He'd have said something if he thought it would make a difference. If they weren't already fighting amongst themselves. Kas didn't know about the relationship between these men, but it seemed strained. The captain lost his crew's support remarkably quickly. Kas's smile turned vicious. Good. Kas wasn't naive enough to think that the men objected to his capture out of any sort of altruism, but the captain deserved to lose his crew for this. He deserved much worse than that.

It all happened very quickly. The death, the fighting, the argument. And then they turned on the captain, hitting him with a gun, and someone cut the rope holding up the net. Kas dropped to the deck on his back, groaning. Everything hurt. His back hurt, the bullet wound hurt, his rapidly-forming bruises hurt. For a moment he lay there on the deck as his body slowly unraveled from it's cramped position. Then someone shoved him with his boot, trying to turn him onto his side, and Kas's eyes snapped open. Oh fuck no.

He lashed out with one webbed hand, slicing the man's leg from thigh to knee. The man screamed and fell to the ground. Stupid. That's where Kas was. He reached over to slice the man's throat, but someone hauled on the net that was still wrapped around him, dragging him backwards. Kas twisted and thrashed, but more men must have joined, because he was being pulled toward the side of the ship. That was fine, too. Kas would have liked to take more of them with him, but he'd settle for getting out of this alive.

They pulled him to the side, and then it was just a matter of hauling himself over the railing. It wasn't easy, but he managed to grab the top of the railing and use his tail to sort of push himself up, enough to get his center of gravity over the side. Then he was falling, landing in the water, struggling with the remnants of the net. He pulled at it until he found one edge, ripped it over his head, extracted his arm, and let it fall away. There was a moment of blessed relief as water filtered into his gills and he no longer needed to breathe. His first thought was to swim, to leave this ship and the monsters on it far behind.

Then he thought, what about the captain? Were they going to throw him over the side, too? Kas surfaced and turned back to the ship, curious despite himself. What were they planning to do?

 

[DigitalPopsicle]

Xavier was disorientated from the blow to the head but he still fought. He heard the large splash to his side and figured they'd already thrown the Mer overboard. After gathering his strength as the crew grabbed and dragged him, the man managed to yank himself free, but their fists enclosed around his shirt and jacket, trying to keep him still. In the struggle the fabric ripped, and in their shock they let go.

Stumbling, the captain found himself on the edge of the deck, less than a foot away from being shoved overboard, but falling quickly to his knees again. Dark spots littered his vision, the sun far too bright overhead. A silence rang out amongst the man who were betraying him. It was only then he realised the shirt he wore was split enough to reveal the tight bandages underneath.

"Always knew this ship was riddled with bad luck!" One man roared, reigniting the angry flame of revenge amongst the crew. "And it was you all along bringin' it upon us!"

Roughly he was pulled up onto this feet, swaying and nearly falling over if it weren't for the two men holding him upright. Black spots swam in front of his eyes, making it hard to see straight, but regardless he stood firm. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction of him giving in, not even an inch.

Chants echoed throughout the ship, drowning out any calls of protest as his brothers were pinned just like he was. In the corner of his eye, Xavier saw Caien being shackled, gritting his teeth in pain as his arms were pulled into an unnatural position by the one holding him. Danae was being forced at gunpoint to keep sailing, a pistol aimed directly at his head. They were all overwhelmed.

He had no chance.

"Say hi to your ugly fish friend." Jason approached, toothless grin making him sick, and the chants grew louder.

"Overboard! Overboard! Overboard!"

Xavier fought as best he could, digging in his heels to struggle against their shoving. Eventually someone picked up his feet, swinging him between the other two already holding him. He kicked his feet, writhing and wriggling but their grasp on him held fast. He couldn't escape.

They sang a twisted nursery rhyme as they swung him over the edge.

"A leg and a wing to see the king! One!" Swing. "Two!" Swing. "Three!" Swing.

And he was falling.

The water felt bruising as he breached the surface, spinning and tumbling down and down as it consumed him.

His clothes were heavy, weapons weighing him down, boots not helping his feeble attempt at swimming.

Everything was dark.

Except for the flash of teeth of the shape swimming towards him.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Kas watched the commotion with barely-concealed glee. His injuries hurt, and the salt water stung his gun wounds something fierce. He swore he could feel water moving through the hole in his fin, which was a disconcerting feeling. Still, all of that faded to the background as he watched the crew turn on their captain. Please. Please throw him over the side. Kas longed for revenge. Craved it. How long had the captain been doing this? Would he have stopped, if he'd sold Kas? Or would he have gone back for more? Killing this man in the water seemed like the perfect poetic justice. A fitting end, to die at the hands of the man he would have sold.

He saw the shock on the crew's faces, but he couldn't place it. Bad luck? Why? And what was the significance of the bandages? He didn't particularly care, aside from a passing curiosity. As long as they still wanted to throw the captain overboard. Which they seemed to be preparing to do. They picked the man up, swinging him by his legs and arms. How would he kill him? Bite his throat? Cut open his chest? Three! they said, and then the captain was sent flailing into the water, kicking and thrashing, kicking up bubbles as he sank.

It was funny, the captain didn't seem to need Kas's help to die at all. He might just drown here on his own, in the middle of the ocean. All Kas had to do was watch. Was it a bad death, drowning? Painful? Scary? Kas swam up to the man, obviously, circling him, grinning. It was a shame he almost definitely couldn't speak aquan, because Kas would very much like to taunt the man. How long could he go without breathing? Did he want to find out?

No, he decided. It wouldn't be fun enough. Just letting the man die didn't count. He needed to do more. Kas grabbed the captain by his torn shirt and hauled him toward the surface, ignoring his struggles. When they broke the surface, Kas let him go and backed away. There was no telling what weapons the man had on him. "Hi," Kas said, in English, his expression downright predatory. He watched the man struggle, still trying to decide how to kill him. Biting would be so quick. It didn't seem fair. The captain would have condemned Kas to a lifetime of slavery. A few seconds of bleeding wasn't enough.

He looked around them for inspiration, not expecting to find anything. But there was a small island a ways off. Not much to look at. Just a wide strip of sand with a handful of trees and bushes in the center. Not a thing that humans would have built anything on. He could take the man there...?

Actually, that could work. It would take the man longer to die there than drowning. And the thing about killing him now, or letting him drown, was that he would never get an apology. The captain wouldn't have any opportunity for remorse. And that would be nice, wouldn't it? A nice, heartfelt apology, only to kill him afterwards? Yes, he liked that.

Kas grabbed one of the man's flailing hands and began to drag him toward the island. "Come on, human," he said. "Time to die." He kept as much of a distance between them as possible -- again, weapons -- but honestly, Kas wasn't terribly worried about it. At this speed, he doubted the man would be able to pull himself close enough to stab him. And a few cuts wouldn't kill him. The bullets certainly hadn't. Honestly, the captain was probably too busy trying to breathe to think about stabbing him. Ha. Kas stayed at the surface of the water so he didn't accidentally drown the man, but that was the closest to courtesy he was going to give him. He dragged the captain to the island, and he let go at the shore. There was nowhere for the captain to go but onto the sand. Kas backed away in case he somehow managed to try and fight him. And then he waited from a safe distance to see what he would do.

 

[DigitalPopsicle]

Fear gripped him, fighting against the urge to scream out and lose precious oxygen. Xavier's energy to struggle and fight back was waning, already exhausted from trying to prevent himself from being thrown over, running on pure adrenaline as he twisted and writhed, trying to pull away from the murderous Mer as best he could.

But it was futile. He was no match for a creature in its natural habitat, and with how heavy everything weighed him down and no spare moment to relieve himself of any of it, it was a battle to move even an inch.

Face-to-face with death, Xavier could only give in. His eyes stung from salt, bruises throbbing throughout his body as he mentally prepared to feel teeth and claws tearing into his flesh.

But it never came. The eerie voice that sounded was a surprise, half because he wasn't expecting the creature to talk, and half because he didn't expect the voice to be so... hauntingly beautiful. It was a single word and Xavier wasn't sure if it was because he was literally facing the jaws of death and any other thought than his probable demise was something his mind clung to or if the Mer really had that enchanting quality.

He didn't have long to think about it before he was dragged to the surface and allowed mouthfuls of sweet air. He gulped it down despite the bitter salty taste surrounding him, treading water and doing so badly thanks to the weight of all he was clad in. Desperately the captain (ex-captain, he thought bitterly) kept afloat, eyes flicking between the retreating ship and the predator watching him.

The next words the Mer spoke he couldn't quite catch but the next thing he knew was the clawed hand grabbing his wrist and dragging him swiftly through the water, more swiftly than any human swimming. Though they were near the surface the waves crashed in Xavier's face, causing him to splutter. Though he had air and wasn't further down in the sea it still wasn't an easy time breathing.

But he'd take anything he could get at this point.

The throw onto the sand hurt like hell on his bruises (and no doubt broken bones) but Xavier couldn't bring himself to care. Coughing and spluttering, he turned onto his hands and knees to all but vomit up the taste of ocean he had inhaled. Everything tasted like salt, making him thirsty and his throat dry.

Adrenaline still coursing through his veins, Xavier forgot about the deadly Mer barely feet from him, focusing on stopping his head from swimming and his lungs from aching. He groaned in pain, pressing a hand to his ribs to stop the throb with every large breath he took. Crawling haphazardly, the man scrambled further away from the water until he could sit without worry of being near the sea and near the creature he had no intention of going close to again. The bindings under his shirt felt tight and painful, but if he had a broken rib from the assault they would be the only things keeping it from causing more trouble. He couldn't re-wrap them if he was in agony.

Golden eyes finally cleared enough to eye the streak of black still watching him from the shallow waters. He wasn't sure if the red in the water around it was from him, the Mer, or the remains of the chef still stuck to its teeth and claws.

A big question still remained in his mind. Why was he still alive? Frowning deeply, still panting for breath, Xavier kept his eyes on the shark, unsure what its next move would be.

"Had your fun?" He asked it, grimacing through his teeth, voice sounding rougher than any night of drinking would make it.

 

[Trompe lOeil]

Having a person on it made the little island look even smaller. It really put into perspective that there was nowhere for the human to go. Kas couldn't reach him on the shore, of course. It wasn't that small. But he didn't need to. Sooner or later the hunger would get to him, or the sun would. Or...did he need to drink water? Kas would freely admit that he hadn't spoken to many humans. There was little overlap between their worlds. Water and land, hunter and hunted. Although, well. Maybe they hunted each other.

"Not nearly," Kas said, grinning. The blood on his serrated teeth made his otherwise human face look monstrous. He could still taste it when he moved his tongue to speak. It felt strange, speaking a human language. The vowels were a lot more voiced. It required more breath. "How many folk have you captured? How many have you sold?" He spat the word. It was a barbaric practice. "Do you enslave humans, too, or just us?" He wasn't sure what would be better.

He wasn't sure how long it would take the man to die, but Kas did know that he would enjoy every minute of it. He was already enjoying it. There was nowhere for the captain to go, and if he even tried to set foot in the water, Kas would eviscerate him. From the looks of him, he'd had a rough time being thrown from the ship. His clothing was all torn, and he looked injured. He was moving like he was in pain. Good. It looked like most of his jewelry and weapons had survived, which was also good. Kas might keep the weapons as a trophy. And he liked the look of the jewelry. It was sparkly and fine. He should have stolen it off the captain when he'd had the chance. Oh well; he'd take it from his corpse.

"What do you think will kill you?" he asked, taunting. Kas twisted so he was floating on his back, lazily drifting in the shallows. For a moment, he grimaced, but he quickly smoothed the expression over. "Hunger? Thirst? Sun?" It all sounded perfectly miserable to Kas. Who would obviously not have any of those difficulties to worry about himself. He could easily find food in the waters around the island. Hell, if he wanted, he could probably make it all the way home and still return in enough time to watch the man die. His people were bound to be worried about him. But he'd lost track of where he was, and it had been a long trip even from the last island. Probably better to stay in the area. He wouldn't want to miss anything, anyway.

When he'd twisted around, it had aggravated the wound in his side. It was worse than he'd thought. It was still bleeding a little, which wasn't a good sign. And it hurt quite a bit when he moved, as he'd just found out. It still hurt -- it throbbed sharply in time with his pulse, and the lapping waves sliding across it didn't help, either. Since there wasn't a hole in his back, the bullet must be lodged somewhere inside him. It was unpleasant to think about. But it was just a small piece of metal, right? The salt water would help.

There were so many things he wanted to taunt the captain about. Kas hardly knew where to start. "That must hurt, huh?" he said. "Seeing them sail away like that? They just abandoned you. And wasn't it your ship?" He really should have listened to his crew when they'd complained earlier. Or just, you know. Never captured a merman in the first place.