"The Scarlet sea at 12 o'clock!" a young lady called from where she stood on the bow of the ship, her voice catching in the wind and carrying to the red-haired beauty that hung onto the rigging watching the sea in front of her. A grin blossomed into the beauty's face as she spotted the rolling fog that spread out in front of the ship.
"Orders captain!?" the second yelled from the middle of the ship. The red-haired beauty on the ship's rigging grabbed hold of a loose rope and quickly kicked off of the net she had been holding onto. She used the momentum to slide down the rope and landed with a soft thud of her heeled boots on the wood of the deck.
"Make all sail! We are not cowards on this ship, a little fog does nothing to change our plans. We head in, get what we want and head out!" The five-foot-nine captain called as she walked to the stern. "It's all hands on deck as soon as we hit the fog! We stay alert and we don't back down, you hear!"
"Aye captain!" The all-girl crew called from where they ran about the deck setting the sails to catch the wind and tying off ropes. They all took their captain's words to heart as they worked and came closer and closer to the thickening fog.
Captain Ova was a newly made captain of three cycles. She had pirated and plundered many other crews and ports with her crew and they were nearing the largest mission Ova had dared to try and go on. The Scarlet sea was known as the sea which no one returned, it was a tall tale on the ships that dared to adventure and chart the seas, but that wasn't what made it into a fabled tale, but rather it was the fact that every time a ship entered it didn't come back out.
The red sea was never marked on a map, never explored, as it had never appeared in the same spot twice.
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This fabled tale of waters set its home in the world of Meriros, a realm of raging seas, coastal cities, and pirates. Many earned their living working on the seas, putting their blood sweat, and tears into pillaging, plundering and capturing the rare treasures of the oceans that made up the world.
The scarlet sea assumed to be to the west was the home of the deadliest waters. Rumors of ghost ships, sirens, and other monsters lurked beneath the surface waiting for a lone ship to sail upon the waves to look for the hidden treasures protected in the jutting rocks. Many people have sailed into the borders of the red tainted waters and have not returned.
To the east was the clear waters of the Crystal City, an island of ravaging gems and buildings as tall as the Mountains in the south some say. In the north, the emerald waters of the Boissard Harbor. A large city known for its trade and various spices.
Captain Ova's birthplace was vastly unknown and she didn't care to find out. The lady was around 20 years old and had been a captain for three years and a crew member since she could remember. She was blessed with a head filled with a put-together mop of wavy cherry red hair, which she often wore pulled up with a headband made of the finest fabrics stained a deep blue.
Her clothing consisted of buckled boots with a red-dyed leather, a long sleeve light jacket that flared out at her heels, cuffs at her wrists, and lightweight waist packs carrying ammo and small survival supplies.
Ova had a confident stride as she marched to the stern of the ship, her head held high as the bowsprit started to enter the thick fog that encased the ruby tinted waters of the scarlet sea, her face was set into a taunt stare as more and more of the ship was swallowed into the fog. The sun seemed to vanish deeper into the fog they went. Gasps flowed around her crew as they worked on steadying the sails and keeping the ship on course.
A smooth and steady melody filled the air the deeper they went, the sound growing louder as they went. Ova cursed and drew her rapier. "Sirens! Keep yer heads on ya lasses! And blow 'em down as they come on the ship!" Ova quickly jumped onto the main deck, the fog making the rest of the ship impossible to see, she knew, however, that her orders were heard as a chorus of "ayes" rang from her crew on deck.
The siren's songs rang in her ears, her brain felt foggy as she hear the first of many sirens climb aboard the ship and race towards her and her crew. Ova shouted to watch out as she was quickly lunged at. Webbed talons lashed out at her as she dodged to the side and slashed down at the slimy siren with her rapier. A shriek filled the air as the fog turned blood-red and more and more sirens climbed onto the boat, overwhelming her crew.
Ova continued to fight, now 1 v 3 as gunshots and thud of decapitated siren heads on the deck surrounded the captain. Her face grew into a growl as she cut down towards the slimy song-filled monsters and tried to avoid their oozing talons. The fight lasted maybe minutes before the ship jerked harshly, the navigator having steered the boat into jagged rocks after being enchanted and impaled by a siren.
Captain ova hit the deck as the ship jerked and tilted dangerously to the side. She heard many splashes as her crew fell overboard. Realizing the ship was going down her eyes widened, cursing and scrabbling away as a siren latched onto her ankles and dragged her into the deep ruby-colored water around the rocks. Ova didn't have a chance to fight back as she felt webbed talons strike her face, letting the cold saltwater seep into her new wounds. Her mouth opened, bubbles escaping in a silent scream.
Her limited vision faded to black as cold slimy hands wrapped around her throat and the sirens song filled her ears.