(Blood Warning!)

"What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the mornin!" A clear and beautiful voice echoed out as the ending chords were played, followed by raucous laughter and the sound of applause. For Kaidos Goldweaver, this was a pleasant and usual night, as he would play every night at the Admiral Benbow Inn. He had been in port for about five months and was now a familiar face to most regulars. He was a strange sight to behold, and he knew it; what with his rich magenta skin, curved dark horns, and a tail that ever so slightly would sweep the ground. Tieflings were not common on Montressor, but everyone who came anywhere close to the Inn knew of Kai and his fanciful words and harmonious singing and playing. He was charming and somewhat of a clever fellow, with the ability to use his speech to both make friends as well as enemies. While he was good with his words, his heart tended to lead more than his head did, as was common for most entertainers of his type.

"That was amazing Kai!" A squeaky little voice came from the bar. It was Krystal, the tiny little elf child who had decided to accompany him. For whatever reason, ever since she showed up at the doorstep, she had taken a strange fascination to him and would follow like a shadow. Kai did not mind it too much, as he had become a bit like a brotherly figure and kept her out of trouble. The little one had a nasty tendency for picking up anything shiny. She smiled and raised her glass to him as well as Reverend Timothy Hiron, a large elephant-like man who would always preach in a deep and somewhat monotonous voice that would irritate the tiefling to no end. They were not unpleasant folk, save for the holy man's pension for scolding Kai for his desire for drinks and pleasant company. But they were the most interesting lot in the whole inn, and the little group would stay up late sharing stories and listen to Kai's songs.

There was only one other who caught their attention, and that was the Captain. He was a brutish fellow, towering over the other patrons, his head nearly hitting the ceiling if he was not careful as he was only matched in height by the reverend. Captain was the name that he ordered to be referred by, and no one dared to say otherwise. He was a mean and rugged-looking man, and not in the way that would make the lasses swoon. He was a half-orc, with tough greyish looking skin, eyes as dark as pitch, and muscles that looked like they could rip open a man's chest if they so desired. He had arrived only shortly after Kaidos had, and he had made sure to make an impression. But Kaidos always tried his luck and would see how far he would be able to get.

Tonight, the broody broad figure was sitting in his usual corner not too far from the fireplace, his piercing eyes locked on Kaidos. The smaller man smiled and before the captain could have blinked, Kaidos had sat right next to him, looking up at him with a cheeky grin. Krystal giggled her usual little giggle while the Reverend hung his head with a disgruntled face. The loxodon did not care for his attitude and was always worried that one day he would bite off more than he could chew. But the young man was like rubber, he would just bounce back as quick as a flash.

"How are you tonight, Captain? You look a little less stormy tonight." Kaidos cooed to the behemoth of a man, who looked down at him with the same look someone would give an annoying fly or if they were given a rather unpleasant tasting meal. The captain did not reply at first, his large fingers surprisingly deft as they caressed a spyglass that looked much too small for his hands. As per his usual, he had sat upon the hilltop, watching out into the horizons. Everyone who frequented the inn just knew at this point to leave him be. There had only been one occasion when he had actually spoken to Kai like a person, and it was to give a weird cross between a demand and a request.

"If ye ever see a cyborg, you run for me. Ye hear me, boy? Keep yer eyes peeled for the cyborg. He means death lad. For everyone."

It was the first time Kai had ever heard him speak, the day he met him. He had come in looking like absolute shit, all the while clinging to a chest about the size of a large cat. His voice had run through him like the sharpest of steel, and yet sounded so worrisome of this cyborg that all Kaidos could do was nod. So while the Captain stood up with his eyes on the horizon, Kaidos would keep a subconscious lookout for this evil cyborg that troubled the captain so. But it had been five months, and Kai never had seen such a sight in town or at the inn. But he did as the Captain asked all the same. Kai was a devilish fellow, but he would always keep his word. He also had an odd fancy of the captain, as he liked his men broad and large.

The captain only responded to Kai with a grumpy growl as he slammed his hand down. All the regulars knew that meant to be quiet. This was the part of the night where the Captain would tell his stories of treasure, bloodlust, and many things that made the Reverend cover young Krystal's ears. The only other person who seemed to be annoyed was Dr. Doppler, an old friend of Mrs. Hawkins, and a pain in the ass to Kai. He was a snooty fellow, who was a scholarly type with his nose burrowed in some bit of literature. He was an also odd-looking man, with dog-like features both in the face and body. He would ramble on to other patrons about different scholarly things, mostly things related to astronomy. To Kaidos though, he was just an easy man to mess with as all it would take was a well-timed wink to make the doctor grumble and make faces of discomfort.

Mrs. Hawkins, the owner of the inn, paid no mind to much of it as she still had work to do. She had a son named Jim who was off at some type of military school, so she was left alone with the work. She let Kai stay there for free in exchange would not only perform his music but also would help out with the work. As the story eventually finished, Kai watched as everyone cleared out and the captain made his way upstairs to retire before coming to help Mrs. Hawkins clean.

"Right old mess tonight isn't it?" she said with a soft tinge of dismay. She was in her late forties with long dark hair and pretty blue eyes. She was a kind and motherly woman and fussed over Kai and his friends as much as any parent would. But he didn't really mind it; it was nice that someone cared that much about his wellbeing.

"Don't worry, it will be clean as can be once I am done. Go and rest Mrs. Hawkins, I will take care of the rest." He gently ushered her off as he cleaned up plates and got everything washed up. She sighed softly, her tired eyes resting on his bright green ones for a good moment. Kai had been told his eyes were mesmerizing and fascinating to most normal people, as his eyes not only were a brilliant green but he also had a ring of yellow around his pupils, making them even brighter. But she finally broke it and shuffled off to her quarters.

"Alright, you win Kai. There is a nice bottle of mead that you can have once you are through, on the house. Try to get some good sleep." She called to him as she exited. Krystal and Reverend also retired, as they were not much for being night owls. Kai continued to clean up, polishing and sweeping until the place was shining. As he uncorked the lovely bottle and took in the smell of honey and blackberries, a loud knocking sounded from the door. There in the doorway stood a hooded figure, a few inches taller than he. The eyes from under the hood seemed to glimmer with malice, and even in the low light of the candles, Kai could see the shine of fangs.

"Pardon my intrusion at such an hour, but I am looking for my friend. Do you know Billy Bones?" The stranger's voice had an unpleasant growl to it, and it made the bard uneasy as he shook his head.

"Cannot say I have matey, but it is late. Unless you are looking for lodging, come on back tomorrow." Kai said curtly and politely as he could. As he went to close the door, he could hear the click of a plasma pistol as the man shoved his foot in between the doorway and the door itself, keeping Kai from closing it.

"Sorry lad but this is urgent business. I know he goes by Captain, and I have heard he stays at this inn, so why don't you go be a good boy and fetch him for me?" His unpleasantness only grew as Kai nodded and let him in. The man removed his hood and Kai saw silky black hair tied up, greyish skin with pointed ears, and yellowish eyes that reminded Kai of the nasty beasties that lie in wait in the night to snatch up their meal. He was dressed plainly, but Kai knew better than to judge; this was a dangerous man, probably a spacer judging from the pistol. But before he could go up the steps to get the captain, the man himself seemed to materialize on the steps, staring at the scene before him with a shocked expression, his dark eyes narrowed with a look Kai had never seen before.

"Bill! Old friend, why don't we have a nice little drink and talk? One man to another." The stranger's voice had an oiliness that made Kai sick to his stomach as he looked on at the Captain, trying to gauge whether or not he should interfere. But the captain sat down at his spot, motioned the stranger to sit, and spoke to Kai with a dark tone in his voice he had never heard from another person.

"Rum lad, two glasses." He ordered. Kai silently obliged. The men sat and drank for some time, just staring each other down. Kai was motioned to leave so he did, heading upstairs to his room. It was best to not get into fights that he did not understand. Time went on, and Kai heard a scuffle and a blast go off before hearing the door slam. As he rushed downstairs, Kai saw the captain on the ground, holding a bleeding stomach. Kai put two and two together; a fight broke out and the stranger took an unfair shot and made an escape into the night. Kai tended to his wounds as best as he could, but it was right in his abdomen and the blood was beginning to drench his dark brown shirt, staining Kai's skin. As Kai frantically called for the doctor, a hand passed him a brown bag that was about the size of the man's hand.

"From me chest. Take it lad, they can't get it. God help us if they did. You always were too kind to this old blaggard". He sputtered and coughed in his low and rough voice, causing tears to form in Kai's eyes. The wound was too deep, all of his magic would not be able to save this man. But he still tried.

"Hang in Captain, the doc can fix you up! Just keep talking to me. That is your treasure sir, I would never take it". Kai answered firmly as he tried to staunch the blood flow, as the Captain lost what little color he had in his face. Before Kai could say anything else though, the bag was shoved into his bloody hands and the Captain pulled him down to where his ear was right to his lips.

"Beware the cyborg lad, beware the cyborg". His voice rattled out as Kai's eyes widened in fear. With that last breath, the Captain slumped, his chest going still. Kai stifled his cries as he shoved the sack into his pockets. What just happened? Who was the stranger? What was the deal with this cyborg? Kai's friends rushed down to see about the commotion, as well as Dr. Doppler and Mrs. Hawkins, and they were answered with angry yells from outside.

As Kai crept and peeked out the window, he saw silhouettes right before a blast of light as someone shot at the door. Gathering every bit that they could of their belongings, the whole lot of them leaped from the back window to Doppler's carriage below. As the group rode off to safety, they watched as the inn burned to the ground by the unknown assailants. Kai hugged the crying Mrs. Hawkins as he tried to soothe her as best as they could. As they rode for some time, Kai finally opened the sack that was shoved into his hands by the late Captain. What was inside was not quite what he expected; it was a dark golden sphere with runes carved all over it. Kai turned it over in hand, admiring the craft of it; each cut and carving was very delicate, so this was obviously something of value. Otherwise, why would the Captain have been so adamant about Kai taking it? He shoved it into his pocket, as they arrived at docs home; whatever it was, it was risky, and their night had become far more interesting than they would have desired.

Once inside and everyone retired, Kai sank into his cot as he turned the sphere over and over in his hand. It was heavy, yet warm to the touch. Kai could only see the flames flying high up into the night sky and the silhouettes from the window. Whomever they were, Kai knew they would not quit searching, and that they were more dangerous than anything Kai had ever gotten mixed up in. Their plan would have to be careful going forward and Kai was going to figure out what the Captain's words really meant.

To be continued...

(I hope everyone likes it! This is a hybrid of a D story that I am a part of, the Treasure Island book and Treasure Planet film. I am an avid lover of all of the above, and I just want to bring my little creation to life. Disney owns Treasure Planet, and Treasure Island is the beloved classic as beautifully crafted by author Robert Louis Stevenson, I am just giving a creative spin and making something out of love and passion. Please feel free to comment if you liked it!)