Somethimg that should be understood before reading:
Pirate Erik- Has experienced much more of the world than our normal Erik. He is powerful and confident and his deformity/mask serves as an intimidation to further his reputation, rather than a hindrance to his life. He has the same diva flare however, and wears a mask with a bit more flash than his usual white one.
Pirate Christine- Is not the innocent and naive ballet dancer of the opera. She is smart, cunning, and very well aware of her charms and how to use them. She has not been sheltered nor guarded and therefore possess a much wider range of skills and abilities.
They both, however, retain their love of music, passion, and entwined destiny.
Gather weary traveler, as I have a tale to tell.
I know you're beaten and bruised,
And I'm pressed for time as well.
This is important to all Pirates who pass,
And they never really listen, I'm always the one see them last.
My warnings are purposed with the message to heed,
As I work to reveal the true horrors of the sea.
Twisted corpses, and shipwrecked souls are all resulted from this.
And all I get in return is a disbelieving hiss.
The chords of fate despise me warning you,
Because this legend only speaks in truth,
Of Calypso, the personified vengeance of the sea.
She rises from it, bubbling angrily.
Her mutant smile and seaweed hair is all that's ever seen,
And those who survived it have never come clean.
She was created to tip the scales,
To eliminate the horrors that humanity held.
Don't you sail, Don't you row, and certainly don't you swim,
If you see the rotting nails of Calypso that got many of them,
As they are out to claim you; it's victory they seek,
And the outlook of many seems quite bleak.
Destler the Pirate,
Infamous and feared,
As the Phantom did appear.
He gazed at her for a second and was spared,
Because she truly felt pity that he was scared,
He dared fight the way of fate,
Though his efforts were way too late.
Escaping the hands of a watery death,
He clawed his way back with his last dying breath.
Don't you dare search for her in the modern day,
As this legend is as old as many would say.
Caution is still needed in the depths of the sea,
Young Pirate, please heed this warning, for it is the key.
I don't want to find another floater in the sun.
He stared out at the dark waves that crashed against the bow of the ship, sending cold ocean spray up onto the deck. The wind whipped around his black hair as darkness began to settle over the open sea. His blue eyes scanned the water, searching for any signs of life. He turned his head slightly as a splash on the starboard side caught his attention. He caught sight of a dark blue tail going back under the waves and he cursed under his breath. The Sirens would be singing tonight. The right side of his face was caressed by shadow, hiding his own dark secrets. A soft melodic tune hit his ears and sent a shiver down his spine. The angelic tone caught the attention of the rest of the crew and he raised a gloved hand.
"Be ready." he said softly. "The Songs are starting."
Several other soft tones joined the first one, creating a beautiful alto harmony. The wood creaked beneath the feet of the crew as they all began to make their way to the rigging. Lightning flashed to the port side, lighting up the rapidly darkening skies. The dramatic and deep alto of the Sirens enveloped the entire ship. The crew braced themselves against the shrouds as several of the vile creatures surfaced from the waves beside them. With beautiful faces and long hair cascading over their shoulders, the Sirens sought to seduce the crew, as they had almost every night previous. They had succeeded in drawing a few men off the ship even as Erik fought to keep them from their watery graves.
He would be cursed before he let any more of his men die. He did the only thing he knew he could. His deep, silky voice echoed out over the waves, barely heard over the drowning volume of the Song. But he knew, quiet as his voice might seem, his crew would be able to hear him.
"Yo ho, all hands
Hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die."
His eyes flashed with the next lightning strike as he whipped around to face his men. The blue orbs had darkened with the storm and his long black hair lashed around his face. His first mate, Daroga, was the next to take up the verse of the song.
"The King and his men
stole the Queen from her bed
and bound her in her bones
The seas be ours and by the powers,
where we will we'll roam."
It didn't take the rest of the men long to join in, their voices all sounding together to drown out the Song that was surrounding them on all sides. Erik let a triumphant smirk flicker across his face as the deep, melodic tune managed to overpower the Sirens.
"Yo ho, all hands
Hoist the colors high.
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die."
Erik leaped from the forecastle deck down to the main deck, his voice ringing out loud among the 20 others to raise their song as loud as the thunder in the distance. A thud sounded as he landed, the planks vibrating beneath his boots. He threw his fist in the air as he started the next verse, determination underlying the grimness of his own Song.
"Now some have died
and some are alive,
and others sail on sea
With the keys to the cage
and the Devil to pay,
we lay to Fiddler's Green."
It was obvious that the Sirens below knew what the crew of the Phantom was doing, and their desperation grew. As the deck was enveloped in the grim song her crew was singing, the Choir began to screech. Their spellbinding tune began to dissipate as the pirates kept their voices in sync.
"Yo ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die."
The longer the pirates continued to sing, the easier they could see through the facade that the Sirens would like them to believe. The blonde and red hair shifted to pitch black, and the beautiful faces warped to grey skin and hollow cheeks. Their black eyes seemed to stare into the souls of the crew. Their vile appearance caused a couple of men to falter, but they quickly regained their composure as the next verse of the song started.
"The bell has been raised
from it's water grave
Hear it's sepulchral tone?
A call to all
pay heed the squall,
and turn yourself toward home!"
An ear splitting shriek ripped through the night, making all the men drop to their knees and try to block out the sound. Erik launched himself to his feet and leaned over the rail, watching as the Choir dove back to the dark depths from which they came. He let out a breath of relief as he raked a hand through his rain soaked hair.
"They're gone." he said, leaning his weight against the rail and dropping his head. They were safe. For now, at least. But that was only one of their problems. Sailing through the Devil's Sea wasn't the smartest idea, and Erik was now learning why he was warned away from the area. But being proud as he was, he refused to let a drunken, low ranking Naval officer tell him what to do. The memory briefly flashed through his mind as he stood there, staring out across the temperamental ocean.
Roaring laughter and the sound of music echoed through the walls of the Dragon's Crypt tavern, lighting up the night in the small port town of Echo Bay off the coast of England. Erik leaned against the bar, pint in hand, as he stared out across the churning sea of people. His men had scattered when they first entered the tavern, and he was happy to leave them to their own devices for the evening. After everything they had been through, he thought they deserved a break. Who was he to deny his men a good time?
Several women had approached him, but he had turned them away. He wasn't in the habit of indulging the way his crew did. He had enough respect for a woman that he wouldn't use her just for pleasure … most of the time, anyway.
His blue eyes caught sight of Daroga, who as always, had a woman on his arm and another in his lap. The corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a half smile as he silently shook his head at his best friend. Leave it to the Persian to test the bounds of his capabilities.
The mask he wore glinted in the light, the silver chains catching and reflecting the light of the chandelier above him as he turned back to the bar. Strips of golden leather were woven together, connected to the malleable black leather by strips of chain and fine stitches. The silver skull and crossbones in the middle of the top of the mask had a single small ruby as an eye, and soft black lace wound around his left eye. His presence had intrigued many, and that's when the whispers started.
He had heard it all many times before, but he couldn't help the self satisfied smirk that appeared on his lips when he heard the fear in their voices as they spoke about him.
"Is tha' really him? Is tha' Destler?"
"Aye, mate. Cap'n of the Phantom."
"He serves Jones, boy'o. Anyone who follows 'im carries tha curse o' death."
"I've 'eard rumours of 'im. Tha mask 'e wears? Hides tha scars tha' Calypso 'erself made on 'is skin."
"Legend says 'e took down a Kraken wit' a single gunshot."
"Quiet!" another hissed. "'e hears ya talkin' an' he'll flog ya 'imself!"
The legends that people could spin based on the terror that one caused were rather amusing. He growled as he caught sight of the moon in the sky. Saxe was late. And Erik didn't like to be kept waiting. He tipped back the glass, downing half of it in one gulp. He raised an eyebrow as movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "You're late." he growled quietly.
The response he got was a loud laugh and he cursed under his breath. The man was drunk.
"You're too serious, Erik. You need to loosen up! Have some fun."
Erik turned on the man, careful not to cause too much of a scene. "Where's my map, James?" he asked, his deep voice coming off calm and collected. Oh, how he hoped Saxe brought it. If he didn't, there would be blood spilled on this night. Erik collected on the debts that he was owed. And James Saxe owed him a great deal.
James reached up and patted Erik's chest. "Calm down, mate. I've got it."
Erik growled but released the officer. How one in the Royal Navy could end up owing a large debt to a pirate was quite the story, but one he didn't care to recount at the moment. "I am calm. You're the one who showed up dog drunk, kid."
The Private, no more than twenty, scoffed. "I'mnot drunk." he slurred.
"I think you are. And I also think that if you don't give me my map, I'm going to take it from you. And that won't be a pretty sight."
The young blond frowned at Erik, seeming to notice for the first time how serious the pirate sounded. "Fine, fine." he muttered. He reached into the blue waistcoat he wore and pulled out a rolled up piece of parchment. He handed it over to the older man, losing his balance slightly and tipping to one side. "You know that's a suicide mission." he said. He let out a loud belch and Erik frowned distastefully.
"I don't care what you think of my endeavors. It's none of your business, kid."
James shrugged halfheartedly. "Barmaid!" he shouted. "Two pints!" He had noticed that Erik had finished off the golden liquid, and he wasn't about to let a friend quit drinking when there were still many kegs left in the storeroom. He turned his attention back to Erik, his eyes hooded as he drunkenly examined the pirate. "I'm notthe one taking mycrew to their deathssss." he said, chuckling at his own misspoken words.
Erik sighed as one of the women put two large cups of ale in front of them before scurrying off to take care of the other patrons. "I'm not taking them to their deaths."
"The waters of the Devil's Sea aren't theeasiest to navigate." Though the young man was drunk out of his mind, Erik knew he had a good point. But he was being paid quite a large amount of coin to do this. And he wasn't one to turn down coin. He didn't care if it came from a lowly trader or the Crown Prince of Astonia. As long as he was paid, he would do his job. Which is exactly what he intended to do.
"I know," he said softly. "But it's nothing we haven't done before."
Suddenly seeming sober, James turned and faced Erik with a serious face. "No, mate. You haven't done anything like this. Sirens. Kracken. Calypso herself. Davy Jones."
Erik rolled his eyes and let out a bark of laughter. "Don't tell me you believe those legends, Saxe. Davy Jones isn't going to be sailing the Devil's Sea. And Calypso was just a story made up to scare away young sailors."
"They call it the Devil's Sea for a reason. If you make it out of there alive, you'll have to go through Deception Pass and the Depths of Death."
Erik pinched the bridge of his nose, fed up with the input of the drunken sailor. "I think I can manage, James. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to tend to."
"Fine," James muttered. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
Erik sighed as he turned to look back at his crew. They were beginning to untangle themselves from the lifeline knots they had tied themselves to. Daroga had the smart idea of keeping them tethered to the ship in case anyone got the bright idea of diving in after a Siren. "Batten the hatches." he called. "We're in for a rough ride tonight."