Day Strife
Tidings of Terror
~Set post-Blood Captain with some elements of Black Heart~
"Saoirse? Well invite her in! I haven't seen her in a very long time," Mosh Zu Kamal said to his secretary, Ivy. Once Ivy had left the room, Mosh Zu got up from his desk and wandered over to a photo on the wall, of he and his sister- Saoirse- fifty years ago beside the funeral pyre of their little sister, Ailyn. After that day, Mosh Zu hadn't seen Saoirse again, but he had heard of her extraordinary reputation. Saoirse was a witch, and a good one at that. Her powers had improved remarkably over the past few years, and she was now highly regarded in the pirate world for her talents. However, her visits often heralded very bad news. Mosh Zu did not know what emotion felt stronger; love and excitement at seeing his sister again, or concern and unease? He had enough troubles on his mind already; did he really need more?
–
Valkyrie stepped out onto the deck of The Hellraiser, the ship she had captained for the past fifteen years, and had been quartermaster for the nine years before that. How times had changed since she first walked onto this ship.
She had met her soulmate, an aristocratic werewolf named Christopher Lancaster, when she was fourteen. On their wedding day, when Valkyrie was eighteen, they had set sail for the first time on their very own ship; The Hellraiser. They spent nine years sailing the oceans and The Hellraiser became one of the most renowned pirate ships on the seas. Until the tempest came, and most of the crew were lost- including Christopher and baby Jacob. Valkyrie was distraught, and so decided to take her life. Jumping from battlements into choppy seas, she slowly drowned to death...
And then Sidorio saved her. He took her aboard The Nocturne and changed her. Now a vampirate, Valkyrie had another purpose in life, and vowed to live it to the fullest. She retrieved her ship and repaired it, then mustered up a crew of vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and ghouls who had been rejected by society and needed a place to stay. The Hellraiser had become notorious for its powerful and deadly crew, but moreso for the talent of Valkyrie and her best friend, fellow crew member, vampire, and ship doctor- Rudolphus Camargo. Together they spent days down in the makeshift laboratory in the hull of the ship, developing chemicals to make life easier aboard the ship, or to be used in ocean warfare.
Their latest chemical was working fine. This was the final test; if a vampire could survive the Sun as it was at its highest point, releasing the most harmful of its rays.
Valkyrie had stood outside in the Sun all day, and it was now dusk. She shared a gaze with Rudolph, and sly grins emerged on the faces of both vampirates. It would render any opposition weak as they would not have the advantage of attacking the crew during the day and causing harm to the vampirates as they were at their weakest. Would other vampirates accept the chemical though? Would they deem it dishonourable to the traditional ways of a true nosferatu? Or would they embrace it and use it to help them as they seek dominance and destruction?
Valkyrie put the vial of the chemical in her pocket, and prepared for a visit to Sidorio.
–
Saoirse was exhausted. After a hard day's work she had finally reached Sanctuary. At her age (seventy-three) she had found it hard to contend with swimming across choppy waters and climbing a rocky crag barefoot, yet somehow she had managed to reach her destination. She had come to visit her older brother, Mosh Zu Kamal.
A tall, slim receptionist named Ivy came out of Mosh Zu's room and addressed Saoirse with a welcoming smile.
"Mosh Zu is ready to see you now,"
"Thankyou," nodded Saoirse, as she tottered off into her brother's room, precariously balancing on a weak-looking walking stick.
"Saoirse!" exclaimed Mosh Zu as he rushed forth to embrace his sister.
"Good evening Mosh Zu," she said formally.
"Oh please Saoirse, call me Kammi,"
"I haven't called you Kammi since I was five and you were twelve and breathing,"
"Well it's nice to maintain homely comforts," said Mosh Zu, trying to break the ice with his sister. The atmosphere was awkward and he did not like it. "May I get you anything Saoirse?"
"I've spent the day toiling hard to get up here. You could have made it more accessible, at least for me. I want us to sit down and get this chat over with before we move onto family and nostaligia and all that less important lark. Tea?"
"Oh, well-"
"Oh yes, you drink that strange stuff don't you? Never mind. I can fix that for you," and Saoirse proceeded to whip two teacups out of nowhere and set them down on the table, before making herself a cup of tea, and a cup of Mosh Zu's herbal blood substitute tea which was served at Sanctuary. Mosh Zu lifted his cup and took a sip.
"Tastes wonderful as ever Saoirse, may I compliment the development of your abilities?"
"You may," Saoirse smiled slightly, before her expression became downcast and serious again. "Now Kammi, as I'm sure you have guessed, I am here to give you a warning. Lately there has been strife on the oceans, of which I am sure you know about, involving a battle between vampires like you, and the wild ones. Much trouble has been caused already, but the storm has only just started brewing. There is still a long way to go before it reaches its climax, but right now there is a more urgent, direct threat towards you and Sanctuary."
Mosh Zu looked serious. Saoirse continued her prophecy.
"The leader of the wild pack, Sidorio- his allies are growing, but they are developing weapons too. Weapons unmatched by things like cannons and cutlasses. These are powers of the mind and powers of science. They are conducting experiments which are going to revolutionise the way you creatures of the night live, but in doing this many lives will be lost. They need test subjects, and your Sanctuary will come under attack. I do not know the nature of this attack, but it is soon, and you must not underestimate the powers of your enemy."
"How can I expect to defeat them?"
"Kammi, you should know things are never as simple as that. Your destiny is only in draft form. It is your actions from now which will determine the outcome of this battle. Seek friends and company ho have helped you in the past. Seek enemies and bring them to your cause. And seek the pirates. The involvement of ordinary pirates is imperative to the story."
"I like your habit of viewing life as a story, Saoirse," admired Mosh Zu, attempting to find optimism in this bleak news.
"That's because life is a story, Kammi. But it is only you who can decide if the story has a happy ending."
Saoirse and Mosh Zu remained silent for a few moments as Mosh Zu contemplated what his sister had just told him. He usually felt quite confident, but now there was an uncomfortable, niggling feeling in the back of his mind that things were not going to turn out the way he hoped. He was sure that somewhere out in the distance, the enemy was approaching closer, and a vision of a woman flashed into his mind...a woman, passing a vial to a man with flaming eyes and golden fangs...Sidorio.