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Audition - Sea of Sins rpg
Land of the Dead
Phoenix Down Resources
/1234567 Fear engulfed her heart as she quickly made her way through the cluster of trees. It had been months since she’d last made contact with the human world. So wrapped up in the political affairs of Pacificus, she hadn’t taken the time to check on her friends. So busy in fact, that when they’d attempted to call her shell, she’d always claim she’d contact them again, soon. Soon…she’d said that far too many times now that she’d really thought about it. Because she always thought there’d be a soon. But from the moment she’d stepped foot on human land in what had been more than several months, she knew something had gone horridly wrong.
The first clue came when she'd grown close enough to a nearby town to get hit with a reeking scent of death. The second had been the passing of several bodies that swung limply from park trees and what looked to be the remains of gutted human bodies scattered about in the road, some more whole than others. She’d never seen such sights before. It chilled her to the core, and the picture had still been burned in the back of her mind, when she’d entered a nearby forest, searching desperately for some signs of life, for someone to tell her what in the world was happening.
She traveled through the thicket of trees under a cloudy sky. The smell of the ocean she'd climbed out of much earlier that day had faded from her senses now. In its place, once again, she could smell something far less pleasant. Far more metalic and definitely rotten, not unlike what she'd picked up in that old town. Yet this one was less old in its odor. No, this was fresh, and it assaulted her nose even moreso than before.
Where in the world was it coming from? As she carried on in the forest, Aqua found herself drawn to an area toward her left. She headed in that direction until she came across what looked to be a little wooden cabin. The answer she sought regarding the rancid smell, came in the form of a woman…or at least, what used to be a woman. For kneeling on the ground, barefoot and bloody in front of an unmoving body, was a creature she’d only heard about in the darkest seatales.
The sickening tear of flesh being pulled from the recent corpse in front of it, reached her ears and she felt her stomach churn. The way the monster that used to be a woman consumed the meaty flesh greedily sickened her. Blood dripped down the creature’s jaw, landing on its blue nightdress, staining it further. Aqua couldn't choke back a small sob of terror.
Mistake.
The creature quickly looked up, and her silver eyes met white, lifeless ones. Heart pounding rapidly in her chest, she ran. Sprinting through the forest, jumping over branches and logs that lay in her path. The faces of three people crossed her mind: Hailey, Claire…Raymond.
Where were they? Were they safe? She had to know; She had to find them. Salty tears drifted down her face as she continued to run, until she felt she was safe from the monsters grasp. But even as she stopped outside the edge of the forest and looked back to see nothing had followed her, she remained shaken.
Where are you guys? She thought, wrapping her arms around her body. Guilt crept into the back of her mind, remembering the many times she'd passed the chance to speak to them when she had the chance...
Please...please be okay.
Weeks had passed since that gruesome day she'd first left the ocean.
Now she found herself in a nearby forest once more, this time surrounded by mountains, and she herself, decidedly far less clean than she'd ever been. Dirt clung to her hair and face, and she couldn't bring herself to care enough to wash it off. Not that there was really any water nearby where she was; at least none that she could sense yet. For a human, going for weeks with barely enough water she imagined would be quite uncomfortable.
As a mermaid, it was damn near unbearable. It certainly hadn’t been easy getting through her time on land. Scavenging for food and resources had been a matter of trial and error. And unfortunately, lately it had been more error than not, finding anything that wasn't rotting or half eaten already; especially in the past few days. It was one thing hunting underwater. It was another thing entirely here. The one thing that had kept her tired and nearly dehydrated self from retreating back to the nearest body of water she could find, to get back to the comfort of her home, was her ever burning hope that she'd find her human friends alive.
If she could find them; if she knew that they were safe, perhaps she could help them somehow. She still owed them a wish after all. That could surely come in handy. But until then, she had to stay alive herself; which kept her on high alert. It had been easier to sleep in nearby trees when available, the better to keep out of reach of the flesh eaters. There had been times when she’d begun feeling hopeless. Especially when she hadn’t managed to come across a single human-that was living that was. She expected more of the same…until she heard it:
“I heard him crying the other night Shane….”
Aqua paused, heart skipping a beat. Slowly, she tiptoed her way closer, peering through the trees until her eyes caught sight of two figures. One male, the other smaller; a woman. She colored herself shocked. How had she not sensed them? She blamed her tired body on it. She'd never felt this weakened before. Usually, she was near enough bodies of water to hydrate or eat, she never had an issue with her natural senses. But being without such access for so long, the only thing she could think of, was that it must have dulled her perception considerably. Frowning slightly at the thought, she focused her attention on the two.
They looked slightly disheveled. The man buttoned up his pants, and the woman played lightly with her long brown locks.
“Sometimes, I don’t know what to say. If there’s anything I could say at all.” The woman’s voice cracked ever so slightly.
The man pulled the woman into a tight embrace.
“He just needs his mom Lori. Be there for him, that’s what you can do; that’s more than enough.”
The intimacy of the moment was not lost on her. Backing away slowly, she fully intended to leave them be...a sudden crack of a branch beneath her tired feet ruined her chance to exit the area discreetely. The two were immediately on the defensive, the man pulling a gun from its holster while the woman moved behind him. It became apparent quickly that they were expecting a monster to step out. She teetered on whether to reveal herself. Funny; she'd been internally begging to meet up with someone; anyone. But now that she found people, she found herself hesitant.
But perhaps-they were friendly? Maybe they had a camp; maybe they even knew where her friends were. She felt her stomach growling, and she wet her terribly dry lips. She was hungry. Worse; she was thirsty.
Slowly, she stepped into the open. The man lowered his gun ever so slightly, as the woman peeked from behind him, surprised but less afraid.
Aqua smiled nervously.
“Hello.” We were migrating through the bay, just like we always do this time of year, and I saw this couple out sailing on their little blue boat. And the way they looked at each other, it was a look I'd never seen anywhere else in the seven seas. Created by Patriot
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