[center][color=00746b][h2][i]Aquarius[/i][/h2][/color][/center] [@wolverbells] [@Guardian Angel Haruki] [hr] Most sea creatures took refuge during a great storm or hurricane, but in the Shellborn culture, it meant hunting time. Several mermen soldiers ventured out from the Shellborn Kingdom to do one thing during this perilous time: kill. Aquarius followed behind a platoon of young and excited sealads. They were riding with their shark companions, holding onto their dorsal fins as the carnivorous creatures cut through the water like knives. “Scylla is all too eager to feast on man flesh. She has pups on the way,” one soldier mentioned. “I was wondering why she was so huge. I thought you were overfeeding her,” said another soldier. The soldier patted the Great White’s flank tenderly and grinned. “Nope. I’m about to have a pack. I thought about selling them when they matured.” “Yeah, you should, you will make a fortune!” An echo tore through the water, resonating throughout its dark depths from a scout one nautical mile ahead. [color=00a99d]“Press on!”[/color] Aquarius commanded. All light conversation ceased as the mermen swarmed ahead. When they reached the scout, they discovered a fishing boat that was being tossed by the waves. The fishermen had been too greedy desiring to steal more from the sea rather than taking only what they needed. Their sin would be compensated with their lives. [color=00a99d]“Cordon the ship!”[/color] The mersoldiers barked in acknowledgement and began to form a ring around the tossing ship. They allowed nature to take its vengeful course and they watched as the waves washing over the ship knocked crates, fish, and unfortunate sailors into the water. As the first two men sank into the ocean, they kicked and scrambled to return to the surface, but would not be given the opportunity. Aquarius’s next command released the mersoldiers’ sharks and the beasts darted through the water like torpedoes to begin ripping the men apart. Unlike some mermen clans, the Shellborn did not take humans under their fins. They killed them for they believed that they were the reason why life under the sea was being slowly erased and to keep other mermen from bolstering their armies. Such destructive creatures were not meant to live beneath the ocean. They were to remain on land where they could war into extinction. There was only a red cloud of blood where the sailors had once been and the blood drove the sharks into a feeding frenzy as they swirled beneath the ship like a blender. The Shellborn were to wait until the ship capsized and take its plunder back to the kingdom. Just then while Aquarius was overseeing his men, an unfamiliar echo passed through the ocean, causing the captain to turn his head in its direction. It hadn’t been from any kingdom he was familiar with. [color=00a99d]“SGT Flotsam!”[/color] Aquarius summoned. The mersergeant rushed over to him, clinging to the fin of a tiger shark. “Yes, Sir!” [color=00a99d]“Gather some mermen and go investigate that mysterious echo. If you discover what it is send word back to me pronto. If you and your men run into any trouble, retreat. I want information not casualties.”[/color] “And what if it’s a mermaid, Sir?” Aquarius fell silent for a few seconds as he thought over the possibility. He watched as more sailors succumbed to the piranha-like swarm. [color=00a99d]“Capture her and bring her back to the kingdom. If there are more, then they’ll want her back and come for her.”[/color] “Yes, Sir!” The sergeant called to four of his men and the five mermen surged forth in the call’s direction. [hr] As for [color=bc8dbf][b]Ariyah[/b][/color], someone did hear her call and it hadn’t been the someone(s) she was hoping to see. The five Shellborn soldiers spotted the mermaid and attempted to chase her into a corner. “A mermaid! Just as I predicted, capture her. Don’t let her escape!” SGT Flotsam commanded.