Post by Captain Vaughan O’Murray on Jun 15, 2011 11:20:14 GMT -8
Part One
The sea was dark and cold. One could hear the crashing of the relentless waves beating up against the side of the sunken ship, each made the ship shake just enough to notice, but the sound was almost inaudible. The only thing one could hear was the loud thunder and a crew celebrating something and being quite drunk and loud with talk and music. The smell that hung in the air was that of an odder just below the smell of rotting corpses, and if it was possible to get over that smell then the air was also oversaturated with sea mist; so much so that it would sting the nostrils of anyone who wasn’t already used to it. Green moss covered most surfaces and the whole place seemed to be wet and filthy. There was not one thing about this tavern that was even slightly inviting to anyone other than a pirate.
One pirate in particular was named Vaughan O’Murray, who at that particular moment had been sprawled in the corner with his head propped up against the hard wet inside hull of the ship with a half full mug of some cheep alcohol clenched in his hand. He was at the point where he was almost ready to pass out, but still hardly able to make out his blurry wobbling surroundings. The crew that had been celebrating had been singing a song that reminded him of home and the songs he and his brothers had sung while out on the fishing boat. Although this song was about rum gold and gals, which was not even close to one of the songs they sang, it still reminded him of those long days of fishing and how much he missed it, his brothers, his father and his mother.
With this sad thought in mind, he took another swig from his mug and passed out almost instantly, causing the remainder of the liquid to pour out over his face and down his chest.
When he came to, the scene had changed slightly. The crew that had been celebrating had left along with the music, the room had become lighter, the sound of the thunder had gone, and the stench had subsided a little. There were not many people in the tavern at the time. Other than the bartender and himself, there was nobody that O’Murray could see. But there was one more, sitting in the corner of the bar at a table with two dinks, waiting like a statue for someone.
O’Murray had struggled a little with getting up, for he was still slightly inebriated and had a bit of a crick in his neck, but when he did he went to the barmen to ask for a cure to his ailment. When the barmen stuck out his hand for payment, O’Murray realized he had either been robbed or he had already spent the last of his money, so the barmen shooed him away and told him to get out of his bar if he had no more business being there. That was the moment the statue in the corner called out O’Murray’s name and invited him to sit and drink with him.
Without a second thought about the fact this man knew his name or that he was offering him an open drink, he went over to the man and gulped down one of the two mugs like water and sat facing the stranger. The stranger then smiled at O’Murray for some reason; it was a smile of joy, as if the man had finally found the one thing in the world he had been searching for. O’Murray had not been fazed by the stranger even still, for he had no fear for some reason at this time. Perhaps it was the rum, or the pain being too much to think about anything else, or even the fact he couldn’t care less about the stranger because he was being offered free alcohol.
The stranger stuck out his hand and said “My name is Caspin sir, and it is a pleasure to finally see you. Here, have another drink on me. I would be off…” he started to say he would be offended if he hadn’t taken it, but O’Murray had already taken down the whole mug. “Right then.”
O’Murray looked at the strange man really for the first time after both the drinks had disappeared from the table. The man had been one of the cleanest pirates he had ever seen, granted he even was one. He had long black hair and sea green eyes that seemed to reflect ocean waves if one looked close enough, but O’Murray didn’t really take too much notice at the strangeness of this and looked at the rest of him. The man was wearing navy blue trousers and a ruffled white top that did not have so much as a stain on it or even a wrinkle in the wrong place. There was something very odd about the man other than the fact he did not seem to belong in that tavern in the slightest.
“Who are ye an’ why are ya here looin’ for me?” O’Murray forced out, starting to feel the effects of the rum and already starting to feel tipsy.
“Well, I have been looking for you in all the taverns, ‘cause that’s what they tell me you like to be in sir. They tell me I should aim to give you this here powder on your own will,” he took a pouch of seaweed green powder from his pocket and showed O’Murray. “I can’t tell you much other then what I know I am afraid. All’s I know is that I am to tell you that this here powder I was told to tell you to consume and also that it would give you something that you would much enjoy, or at least enjoy more then what you enjoy now.” He took in a deep breath and sat there with a smile on his face like he did before. Almost instantly he remembered the second part to what he was asked and hurriedly said “Name’s Caspin sir, just as I was before,” and resumed his smile and stair.
O’Murray sat for a moment, taking in what he had just herd. He grabbed the bag of seaweed green powder and smelled it, it smelled like the sea. “Wha’ is it?” He asked without taking his eyes off it, “Some sort of poison?”
“Oh no Captain O’Murray sir, it is…” He stopped abruptly and covered his mouth hoping O’Murray missed the captain part and continued to wonder what the powder was and why he should drink it. Caspin quickly recovered , “It is a special powder sir, one I am not familiar with a title to match, all I know about it is that I was to tell you to pour it in some sea water and drink it,” here he pulled a mug from the floor and set it on the table, it was filled to the top with sea water. Caspin then took the powder from O’Murray and poured it in the mug, causing it to bubble slightly and turn slightly more blue. “Drink this all sir and all you could ever wish for will be at the snap of your fingers.”
O’Murray again took a second to think about it. He thought about how he had spent the last unknown number of years of his life in the corner of some bar, too drunk to remember his own name. He thought of how there really would be no down side to abiding by this strangers request, even if the powder was some form of poison, anything would be better than this day by day lifestyle. The new two glasses of rum in his body caused him to take a very long time to think about all this, and finally after a few minutes, O’Murray grabbed the mug and gulped it down. It tasted like nothing, even water had a taste, but this drink was completely tasteless. O’Murray could just feel something flowing down his pallet and head for his stomach, and before long every drop had been drained from the mug.
Then, when O’Murray had slammed the mug back on the table and opened his eyes, the Caspin was gone and there was a small silver pendent with a trident on it sitting on the table. O’Murray looked around to the door on the other side of the tavern, and saw nothing but the barmen wiping down his bar and a sailor passed out on the floor beside it. Caspin was nowhere to be seen, so he took the pendant and slipped it in his pocket believing it was a gift.
When he attempted to get up only a few seconds later, his stomach started to twitch in a pang worse then any cramp he'd ever had. He doubled over and started gasping for air, like he was drowning. He forced himself up and to the door of the tavern with some difficulty, the barmen watching without any concern. When he got there he opened it, trying to breathe in fresh sea air, and only hardly succeeding. In front of him, there was a long bridge that went to land and to the right, a set of stairs leading down to a small port. He attempted to cross the bridge, for his stomach seemed to be pulling him in that direction, like it was being pulled and O’Murray had no choice but to comply. He slowly made his way across the wobbly old rope bridge, trying to get to wherever his stomach was pulling him so it wouldn’t hurt so badly; when suddenly it pulled down so sharply that he lost his footing and fell over the side and into the rocky sea below.
The sea was dark and cold. One could hear the crashing of the relentless waves beating up against the side of the sunken ship, each made the ship shake just enough to notice, but the sound was almost inaudible. The only thing one could hear was the loud thunder and a crew celebrating something and being quite drunk and loud with talk and music. The smell that hung in the air was that of an odder just below the smell of rotting corpses, and if it was possible to get over that smell then the air was also oversaturated with sea mist; so much so that it would sting the nostrils of anyone who wasn’t already used to it. Green moss covered most surfaces and the whole place seemed to be wet and filthy. There was not one thing about this tavern that was even slightly inviting to anyone other than a pirate.
One pirate in particular was named Vaughan O’Murray, who at that particular moment had been sprawled in the corner with his head propped up against the hard wet inside hull of the ship with a half full mug of some cheep alcohol clenched in his hand. He was at the point where he was almost ready to pass out, but still hardly able to make out his blurry wobbling surroundings. The crew that had been celebrating had been singing a song that reminded him of home and the songs he and his brothers had sung while out on the fishing boat. Although this song was about rum gold and gals, which was not even close to one of the songs they sang, it still reminded him of those long days of fishing and how much he missed it, his brothers, his father and his mother.
With this sad thought in mind, he took another swig from his mug and passed out almost instantly, causing the remainder of the liquid to pour out over his face and down his chest.
When he came to, the scene had changed slightly. The crew that had been celebrating had left along with the music, the room had become lighter, the sound of the thunder had gone, and the stench had subsided a little. There were not many people in the tavern at the time. Other than the bartender and himself, there was nobody that O’Murray could see. But there was one more, sitting in the corner of the bar at a table with two dinks, waiting like a statue for someone.
O’Murray had struggled a little with getting up, for he was still slightly inebriated and had a bit of a crick in his neck, but when he did he went to the barmen to ask for a cure to his ailment. When the barmen stuck out his hand for payment, O’Murray realized he had either been robbed or he had already spent the last of his money, so the barmen shooed him away and told him to get out of his bar if he had no more business being there. That was the moment the statue in the corner called out O’Murray’s name and invited him to sit and drink with him.
Without a second thought about the fact this man knew his name or that he was offering him an open drink, he went over to the man and gulped down one of the two mugs like water and sat facing the stranger. The stranger then smiled at O’Murray for some reason; it was a smile of joy, as if the man had finally found the one thing in the world he had been searching for. O’Murray had not been fazed by the stranger even still, for he had no fear for some reason at this time. Perhaps it was the rum, or the pain being too much to think about anything else, or even the fact he couldn’t care less about the stranger because he was being offered free alcohol.
The stranger stuck out his hand and said “My name is Caspin sir, and it is a pleasure to finally see you. Here, have another drink on me. I would be off…” he started to say he would be offended if he hadn’t taken it, but O’Murray had already taken down the whole mug. “Right then.”
O’Murray looked at the strange man really for the first time after both the drinks had disappeared from the table. The man had been one of the cleanest pirates he had ever seen, granted he even was one. He had long black hair and sea green eyes that seemed to reflect ocean waves if one looked close enough, but O’Murray didn’t really take too much notice at the strangeness of this and looked at the rest of him. The man was wearing navy blue trousers and a ruffled white top that did not have so much as a stain on it or even a wrinkle in the wrong place. There was something very odd about the man other than the fact he did not seem to belong in that tavern in the slightest.
“Who are ye an’ why are ya here looin’ for me?” O’Murray forced out, starting to feel the effects of the rum and already starting to feel tipsy.
“Well, I have been looking for you in all the taverns, ‘cause that’s what they tell me you like to be in sir. They tell me I should aim to give you this here powder on your own will,” he took a pouch of seaweed green powder from his pocket and showed O’Murray. “I can’t tell you much other then what I know I am afraid. All’s I know is that I am to tell you that this here powder I was told to tell you to consume and also that it would give you something that you would much enjoy, or at least enjoy more then what you enjoy now.” He took in a deep breath and sat there with a smile on his face like he did before. Almost instantly he remembered the second part to what he was asked and hurriedly said “Name’s Caspin sir, just as I was before,” and resumed his smile and stair.
O’Murray sat for a moment, taking in what he had just herd. He grabbed the bag of seaweed green powder and smelled it, it smelled like the sea. “Wha’ is it?” He asked without taking his eyes off it, “Some sort of poison?”
“Oh no Captain O’Murray sir, it is…” He stopped abruptly and covered his mouth hoping O’Murray missed the captain part and continued to wonder what the powder was and why he should drink it. Caspin quickly recovered , “It is a special powder sir, one I am not familiar with a title to match, all I know about it is that I was to tell you to pour it in some sea water and drink it,” here he pulled a mug from the floor and set it on the table, it was filled to the top with sea water. Caspin then took the powder from O’Murray and poured it in the mug, causing it to bubble slightly and turn slightly more blue. “Drink this all sir and all you could ever wish for will be at the snap of your fingers.”
O’Murray again took a second to think about it. He thought about how he had spent the last unknown number of years of his life in the corner of some bar, too drunk to remember his own name. He thought of how there really would be no down side to abiding by this strangers request, even if the powder was some form of poison, anything would be better than this day by day lifestyle. The new two glasses of rum in his body caused him to take a very long time to think about all this, and finally after a few minutes, O’Murray grabbed the mug and gulped it down. It tasted like nothing, even water had a taste, but this drink was completely tasteless. O’Murray could just feel something flowing down his pallet and head for his stomach, and before long every drop had been drained from the mug.
Then, when O’Murray had slammed the mug back on the table and opened his eyes, the Caspin was gone and there was a small silver pendent with a trident on it sitting on the table. O’Murray looked around to the door on the other side of the tavern, and saw nothing but the barmen wiping down his bar and a sailor passed out on the floor beside it. Caspin was nowhere to be seen, so he took the pendant and slipped it in his pocket believing it was a gift.
When he attempted to get up only a few seconds later, his stomach started to twitch in a pang worse then any cramp he'd ever had. He doubled over and started gasping for air, like he was drowning. He forced himself up and to the door of the tavern with some difficulty, the barmen watching without any concern. When he got there he opened it, trying to breathe in fresh sea air, and only hardly succeeding. In front of him, there was a long bridge that went to land and to the right, a set of stairs leading down to a small port. He attempted to cross the bridge, for his stomach seemed to be pulling him in that direction, like it was being pulled and O’Murray had no choice but to comply. He slowly made his way across the wobbly old rope bridge, trying to get to wherever his stomach was pulling him so it wouldn’t hurt so badly; when suddenly it pulled down so sharply that he lost his footing and fell over the side and into the rocky sea below.