Aegis (Shyone x Ohm)

[shyone]

The sound of thunder raged in the sky overhead, while the ship was tossed about on the waves of the raging ocean. Standing next to the wheel, and holding onto his cane, Charles watched the sea with glaring eyes from under his cloak. He found the whole storm to be just a little unusual, not that he was a stranger to the unusual, but the storm had been going none stop for seven days. Even Mara, was starting to worry about the ships integrity, and they hadn’t even reached the point of submersion that was marked on the map. It seemed like the closer they moved towards the point of submersion, that the stronger the storm itself grew. The man could almost sense something about storm; it felt alive… like it was trying to halt their journey forward. This very idea drove the Captain, to push the ship onward, when combined with his slightly manic curiosities. Resting his free hand on the navigator’s shoulder he yelled at the man, “Just hold on for a few more minutes’ son, I will have Kemal come up and assist you.” Charles knew that trying to steer the ship in this storm would be something beyond that of a normal man. The former palace guard, and now strongman guardian for ‘The Engineer’… Kemal would be prefect.

Balancing himself as he went down the stairs, trying not to fall on the wet flooring. Charles called out, “Kemal… We need you at the wheel. Don’t worry Graf will watch over Kartek, and the others.” From his chair, the large ebony skinned desert dweller rose, as he nodded towards the Captain. The large man had to hunch over slightly to make his way through the door without hitting his head. It was not the first time that Charles had asked the wrestler to help the navigator, so despite the fact that Kemal was considered a simple man by most… Charles knew better. He had never had to teach his friend anything more than once and he was very protective over Mara as well. The Captain had always assumed it was because of their shared muteness… a sort of secret language of touch that only the pair understood. Even Graf admitted sometimes that if Kemal were not sworn to Kartek’s service, then he would make a better guardian for the women who had largely funded the building of the vessel.

Fighting his way through the wind up towards the bow of the vessel Charles wanted to get a better look at where headed with his own eyes. It was just as he reached end of the vessel that suddenly he heard a yell from the crow’s nest. A faint voice in the distance, that turned into a loud yell of a more feminine voice in his mind, “It’s a maelstrom you idiot. You fool we warned you about the potential of this kind of danger. Now you have endangered the lives of the men that are loyal to you.” Laughing slight in an maniac like tone, it was the laugh of anyone who was possibly up to something. His laugh was suddenly interrupted as the ship began to pitch, and was slowly drawn into the whirlpool. Falling back the Captain wrapped his arms around nearest post, “Have Reaf lock herself and the three of you in the nearest empty barrel, and inform Graf, and Kartek.” Charles knew there would not be much time for his orders to be carried out, but it was the only way he could save his friends, and also to make sure that the Mistress, Mara, survived.

He could see Kemal struggling to guide the ship out of its downward spiraling course to no avail. The Captain knew that he hard to activate the full strength of the magical barrier at this point. It would be the only way that the crew could survive being sucked under water. It was the only way that his ship had any chance of survival. Charles all but stumbled through the door of the Captain’s cabin, and over the table which Kemal had been seated only moments before. The large round table made of pure ebony, with a large red glowing crystal held up in an open hole by golden supports right in the center. Reaching up to a chain that he had tied around his neck, was another smaller crystal, but it was green instead. The Captain quickly snatched it off the chain and tapped the larger crystal with it, while counting to himself, “One… Two… Three… Four… Five… Si…”

Before the pirate could even utter the last word, he was distracted by a cracking sound, and looked up to realize that he was too late. The world had gone silent, and the ship was underwater, but the spell had not been cast properly. The glass exploded, and the force of the rushing water slammed the Captain in the wall, but it was so strange. There was no water rushing in the door to cabin, but these questions, and their answers mattered little. The spell was only protecting part of the ship that was now like a sinking submarine, which eventually crashed into something. Before that had even happened though, Charles himself had blacked out. The Captain was holding on tightly to the railing inside of his cabin so that he would not be pulled out of the now mostly destroyed vessel. The crew would be found strew about the wreckage.

 

[Shoegaze]

• 
  
  "There's a storm overhead," a naga noted. Aegis' bulwark rose miles high - if one were to venture to the Searim, they could see how the barrier resembled freshly pressed glass against the ocean's surface; marine life floated by, sorely oblivious to not only Aegis' reach, but its very existence. Aegis was conjured hundreds of years ago by the old god Garuda that founded Pala and plunged it into the sea when war threatened to ravage the sacred city. Among the indigenous were naga, a serpentine people whom had made their homes in seastone towers. Palans learned from their architectural prowess over the centuries, but as of late, a tension between the neighbours has blossomed under the rule of a tyrant who usurpsed a diplomatic powerhouse's seat within Pala.
  
  Vespira Coralscale, commander of Palan reconnaissance, was among those oppressed. She, however, did not let her disposition draw from her assignment. At the messiah's behest she collected a team of her best to investigate a reported shipwreck in the reefs. Although uncommon during this time of year, the shipwrecks were often teeming with supplies Palans could use to bolster their economy - that was, of course, if scavengers and carrion beasts weren't the first to comb over the wreckages. "Another vessel cursed with a dogmatic view," Vespira grumbled as she waded through a lukewarm tidal pool. They dotted the knolls here; at their bottoms were a collection of shells, crabs and oysters, occasional heaps of coral and detritus that fell from the mangrove's boughs.
  
  A scout she'd dispatched earlier came slithering through the mangrove. He was a tall, broad-shouldered naga sporting polished coral pauldrons and a breastplate forged from seastone, inlaid with pink pearls and turtle leather. "There are survivors," he panted. Vespira's eyes widened. She washed her hand over her spines and gestured for her team to advance.
  
  They found the vessel a half mile ahead in a denser area of the mangrove. The waters were saline and murkey, but the naga were trained to spot anomalies. "Where as these survivors?" Vespira questioned as she examined wreckage. The entire cog was cracked in two pieces, sodden in stirred detritus from the bottom of the adjacent estuaries. The mast was snapped and lodged in a hundred year old mangrove, its sail tangled, matted and festooning the branches like a tapestry. "This way," the scout gestured. Vespira and her team came to a clutch of mangrove trees above the river where some survivors had been collected. Among those salvaged from the flotsam was a woman, a cloaked man and one with skin as white as bone.
  
  Others were nearby with their hands fettered by the naga. Vespira snorted and sheathed her staff. "Bring them back to the palace for the messiah. It is rare we happen across visitors ... rarer so that they are alive."

 

[shyone]

It was a voice in Charles’s head that slowly awoke him. There were no words, but simply a presence, as he drifted from the realm of the unconscious into that of conscious. The Captain found himself greeted by the sight of Palan scouts searching over the wreckage of his ship, and now they were approaching his own position. Charles let his hair hide his one open eye, as the man quickly scanned around for any survivors, without moving his body, it was not long before the Captain noticed the forms of Kemal and Kartek lying nearby. The sight of two of his surviving crew members gave the man a sense of relief, since it only meant that the chances were higher that others had survived as well. Turning his attention back to Naga, Charles noted the way which one of them sheathed their weapon so he took this to mean they were not in any immediate danger.

“Stay away from my friends!” The sound of the child like feminine yell, was like cold water on Charles’s face. A small child appeared from among the wreckage struggling to maneuver object an over a pile of debris, and then running up out of the water, and onto the shore to stand in front of the Captain’s prone form. The young girl stood there dripping wet in a black kimono, which was decorated like a starry night sky and filled with crescent moons. A now tattered red umbrella was held over shoulder as she sat down the object she had been struggling with, before she stared around with doll like blue eyes, which slowly began to haze over as they turned black. Tentacles of darkness were just started to cover over the child’s pupils when she pointed at the naga, “Now back away from Master Charles, or else…”

“Reaf my dear, there is no need for that, at least not now anyway.” The Captain slowly stood up as he interrupted the little girl, whose eyes didn’t return to normal when she looked back at him definitely. Charles voice held a very monotone sound even in this moment, but he did have a habit of extending out the s in a slightly hissing like sound. Raising his cane Charles stopped the golden tip only inches from the girl’s forehead, “I will not tell you to calm down again Reaf.” Backing off slightly the girl relented, and moved to stand beside Charles as the last of the darkness faded from her eyes. Slowly other survivors began to reveal themselves, wading up on shore to join their place at the Captains side. Three cats who seemed quite obviously to the fact they were soaking wet flanked Charles on the side opposite of Reaf. Two of them had a very feminine appearance and remained close together as their tails moved in unison. Most of their fur was a light caramel color, with almost chocolate colored paws, and ears. This darker portion also colored their nose and around the eyes. The other animal that moved itself closer to Charles was a fatter cat with a masculine build. Layered over in a greenish blue like fur, the cat’s large yellow eyes examined the area mischievously.

Charles regarded the three animals with a stern gaze before he looked in the direction of Kemal and Kartek; his attention had not once turned to the nagas. His demeanor was of a man more worried about his crew’s safety then anything. It was also of someone who didn’t seem to regard the large naga warriors as a threat, or at least something to be feared. Charles didn’t want the large man to make any sudden moves to defend Kartek that could get them all trouble, so he waited until he was sure that Kemal was lucid enough to understand him, “Kemal don’t make any sudden moves ok?” He waited until other had nodded his head in response before continuing, “Just try to stay close to Kartek, and I will sort this out.”

“Now I can assume that you are the natives of Pala if I am in the right place, or me and my crew have not joined each other in the same after life.” He softly laughed with amusement at his own sarcasm. Charles stood there for a moment and examined the Naga, before he reached up and pulled back the hood of his cloak. The act revealed a few things about Captain that would have been hidden before. The first thing being the lack of a natural left hand, and what was in its place was a machine. With small metal bars connected together by joints, this first came out of the back of his palm and then dove into the fingers of the scale armor gauntlet. It was out of his finger tips that extended blades which were about the length and a half of Charles fingers.

From the top of his head flowed a river of raven black hair that covered over the man's face and pooled on his shoulders. The long locks obscuring the sight of his face, except for one large black eye that peeked out at you as though it was staring right into your soul. There was also a leather strap that crossed over his face, and dived down into his hair, pressing half of it into his face. It’s presence around the area of his left eye presented the possibility that the Captain was wearing an eye patch of some sort. On his body was a red suit that had white ruffles coming out the end of his sleeves. The suit itself was very dirty, as were his messed up black pants and shoes, giving him a slight hoboish appearance. The cloak itself that he wore was black, with gold trimming on his shoulders that gave Charles a broad shouldered appearance, and also that of someone of rank.

“Me and my crew are perfectly willing to come with you peacefully. I can promise you that there is no need to tie us up like criminals.” The last word in the sentence held an almost playful tone to it. Gesturing over to his crew mates he continued, “If you and your people were the ones who pulled use out, then you have my thanks, but I must ask if you have found a women who has white hair, and is wearing a red dress with long black leather gloves. Along with bandages that cover her eyes, ears, and throats? She can’t see, hear, or speak, and she can’t walk either, so if we must be tied up I do at least ask that that you allow my friend Kemal over here, or even a man in soldiers uniform that you might have found near her to carry her. I am not sure if her wheelchair would have survived the wreck.” The Captain spoke in a manner that acknowledged his captivity, but asked for mercy for his people at the same time.