• Solo • Gulls in the Sky

[Limbo]

35th Saun, 716

Morning

The seagull.

Medium to large bird, grey or white in feather color, with black markings in its head or wings. Harsh wailings, long beaks. Carnivorous diets, predatory and or opportunistic feeders. Almost four pounds in mass, thirty inches in wingspan, sixty inches in length. A delicious meal, flying up in the sky, tracing circles and patterns, squawking as it repeated the same cycle, the same loop over and over again.
Kovic watched it through the night, and now that a new sun lighted the day, he kept watching. It was a lonesome journey what he currently experienced, a creature incapable of swimming, trapped in a rowboat with no oars. The current of the ocean drug his boat away, the waves rocking his bed as his blue eyes longed for the shore. The hunger had grown intense, as intense as the sunlight that beamed upon his stark naked flesh. His ability had been triggered long ago, the mutations having spawned in his mouth and arms. What were once his limbs had now split into a sort of tentacles, thumping at the wooden surface by themselves as Kovic had almost no control over them. Once his tongue, it had mutated into a tentacle by itself, lacking the suction cups just as much as his newfound limbs did, but compensating in a strong musculature and a slimy secretion. It was this new tongue what lashed out into the sky like a whip, only to meet its end and fall upon Kovic’s lethargic face.
By itself, the tentacle that sprouted from his mouth moved to the surface of the water and suckled on the liquid, only for Kovic to gag on it for the thirty-second time since his aimless sojourn began. It was still salty, no matter how far his boat was dragged. Was this gigantic mass of water so full of salt? It was like licking a sweaty armpit, kink Kovic had satiated for the many peers he had latched on to. He missed a peer, its company, the act he had to perform to satisfy it. He could eat a peer, now that he was as hungry as he was. How much longer could he go on? The morning had barely come – would he make it to the evening? Would eating his foot be enough to satisfy him? Perhaps he should try, at least to satiate the furious growls coming from his stomach.

The seagull.

Large bird, white in feather color, black markings on its head and wings. Harsh wailings. Carnivorous, opportunistic feeders. Its meat, tender. Its bones, fragile. Four pounds of delicious meat. Tracing circles, drawing a secret alphabet in the sky, mocking him, teasing him. The hunger and inactivity had set him into a lethargy, a sort of procrastination Kovic had never experienced before, his eyes blinking as slow as his rowboat rocked with the waves, the day stretching into weeks, seasons, cycles, arcs. An endless torture, an eternal torment.
He felt it, in that moment. The whisper, the hint, the clue, the idea. An intent, an emotion, drilling through his skull, even present in his stomach as it was twisted and pointed towards the sea. Head barely able to turn to its side, the seat serving as his pillow, elevating his head enough to spot the never-ending undulating surface of the blue mass of water. Below its surface is when he saw it, those wide open eyes, bright in hue, staring with utmost devotion. Humanoid, female, dark hair, exotic features, bizarre. Heavy mutations below the waist, golden patterns on approximately sixteen tentacles. Abnormal, uncommon. Extraordinary length, colossal mass, perhaps an optical illusion produced by a liquid barrier. A large creature, a good meal.
Kovic’s heavily mutated tongue lashed out towards the creature, as if its length would be enough to capture it, strangle it and consume it – it failed. However, a response was seen, a lone tentacle from the creature trying to reach out towards Kovic. A greeting, an addressing, a salute, perhaps coincidence. Kovic repeated his previous action, and the creature replied once again the same way. Not a coincidence – contact, interaction, communication. It stared still, and Kovic stared back, any of his knowledge being insufficient to assess the situation.
Be it fortune or misfortune, Kovic’s boat gained speed suddenly before it crashed against a lonesome rock in the middle of nowhere. Being shot out of his death bed, body clashing against stone, Kovic’s adrenaline kicked in as he felt his waist dipping into water. The mutated tentacles he had for arms grasped to the surface, the limbs mutating rabidly, developing bone parts that created traction, hanging to the rock by pure instinct and managing to climb on top with many grunts and pants. The pain from the crash was minimal now that he was certain of his immediate survival, although the boat had been reduced to debris that floated with the currents. His long term survival had just been drastically diminished, and the extinction of his race was likely to occur here, in this curiously flat piece of rock in the middle of an ocean he couldn’t traverse.

The longing stare into the remains of the boat was interrupted, as instead Kovic’s eyes captured something far more interesting. Frames, figures, and tentacles in the water, watching, staring. Three of them, watching with bright eyes, waiting for something. Kovic waited too, and soon he received it all at once – a collaborative ovation, telepathically delivered by whatever magic they were using, forcing his mind to accept their devotion, their adoration, their respect. And as he watched, his mutations grew stronger, more virulent, and their ovations grew at par with them.

Creature of hunger, a monster of vileness, adored like a Leviathan by a small tribe of Mer.

Thanks to Jade for this amazing template!

[Limbo]

The chorus of adoration was still maintained, Kovic’s mind shutting down as it was flooded with the strange feeling. Inhuman, perhaps, was his psyche, undeveloped to these sorts of feelings. The intent, however, was clear – what they wanted is what Kovic often sought in his victims. To adore, to bend, to serve. To fulfill every whim of his until their use was over and Kovic moved on.
Several individuals, part humanoid, part cephalopod. Apparent ability to remain submersed for long periods of time, perhaps indefinitely. Severe mutations or perhaps magical awakening that allowed basic non-verbal telepathic communication to take place at moderate distance. Impressive, unique, bizarre. Unseen so far. Eyes set on their new found Leviathan, four individuals watched from beneath the surface of the water, the crest of waves being the only pause in the stalking of their eyes. The female spotted by Kovic was still there, the bright hue of her eyes beckoning for Kovic’s attention like a lighthouse in the night.
Kovic ached in hunger. His tentacle arms tried to hang onto his own legs, his stinger-like tongue wiggling in the moist air as he suffered. The mutations were getting out of control on their own, his arms shattering further and further up, the bones remade into soft tissue, the veins clogged and the blood redirected as the tentacles grew longer, wilder, and heavier. An automatic process executed by a body in constant pain, disconnected from a mind that in these moments did not help to cope with the famine. All these monstrous features moved towards the chest, tapping, patting and rubbing on the abdomen as if trying to comfort the shrunken stomach within.
It was enough of a clear sign for the devote tribe, as moments later Kovic’s excellent sight had lost trace of every single Mer, the creatures having lost themselves in the dark abyss below without warning. The chorus of admiration was still ricocheting inside Kovic’s skull, the most prevalent suggestion being him throwing himself into the waters – obviously, not a valid option. Despite the creatures’ strange abilities and uncertain intentions, Kovic almost feared they would not return. He hadn’t established a line of communication between the two groups, which of course made him wonder if he would ever get the chance, as now he was trapped in the strangely plain and square piece of rock he currently stood in.

It wasn’t until perhaps ten bits later that hope came in the form of a decapitated shark, a bleeding body tossed with joint efforts onto the island, rolling in the rock before it bumped Kovic’s shins. A gift, a tribute, a sacrifice, a meal for the Leviathan worthy of everything in the clan’s territory. The worshipping fanatics were back, watching, but Kovic did not watch back. He looked at the meal, the meat, the blood, and his hunger was released – the mutations overcoming his body, transforming it, tearing through the clothes as the man itself disappeared, and a hideous monster remained instead. Hundreds, if not thousands, of tiny tentacles took over his now reddish skin, thin and small like hairs, as Kovic’s jaw unhinged and opened abnormally wide, the evolving creature falling on his feet as his teeth dug onto the flesh and tore chunks of the hard skin with ease. At the same time, his tentacles slowly began wrapping themselves over the body, and as they touched the meal, they too changed. They became plain, muscle-less and inert, as instead a sort of membrane began spreading over the dead body, a cocoon of red tissue that was preparing to absorb every last bit of the meal.

Time passed, and what was once looked like an inverse Mer now resembled a man’s torso sitting on top of a red amniotic sac. It wasn’t just red because Kovic’s mutations had forgotten to create a layer of skin, but it was Kovic’s unhinged jaw and the red vomit that escaped him what tainted it. There was always a barrier between body and mind in his case. His mind was aware that he was full, but his body kept aching, kept demanding more and more, as the hunger never went away. This insatiable gluttony and indulgence was part of his curse, forever having to fight his instincts to devour everything that moved. Now, as his body decomposed every ounce of meat and bone into a red soup, Kovic could only vomit again and again, as no man could ever devour an entire shark by himself. It was painful, yes, and it was frustrating, but it was his reality, and the ache of his indulgence had been isolated by his mind, just like the pain from the severe transformations he underwent occasionally.

Soon the rock Kovic had found refuge in was tainted in red, the occasional wave making its way to the top and partially cleaning the blood, until the layer of red was renewed moments later. And as this happened, the Mer watched, stared, smiled even, as their Leviathan was not only fed, but overfed. Was there a bigger reward to one’s efforts? To find one’s idol and watch it delight in the treat of his followers? There wasn’t, apparently, as shortly after the tribe disbanded temporarily again to bring more joy to their new found leader.
A harpoon that had impaled several fish was added to the feast, to which Kovic’s body did nothing but welcome them into his leeching membrane. Another harpoon that had impaled large crabs came after, to which Kovic consumed them and vomited them afterwards. A large swordfish, a great handful of fish eggs, and even a partially devoured dead body of a recently deceased sailor – he was fresh. And it kept coming, and coming, the feast of gifts, of praise and adoration, as the Mer kept watching their Leviathan spreading his good will – the blood of their enemies.

He was the one.

Thanks to Jade for this amazing template!

[Limbo]

Midday

To be loved, to be adored, and to be wanted was all a man could ever ask for. Kovic too appreciated the sentiment transmitted within his head, yet he was no ordinary man. To be hidden, normal, plain, was what he wanted most. The feast had ended as the sun had rose atop the dome of the world, and atop the bloody remains of the banquet stood Kovic, tall and proud, glorious in his naked form. The mutations grew wild within his torso, teeth growing here and there, worm-like tentacles spawning from his flesh, unknown masses of flesh moving beneath the skin, going here and there without a set destination. Blue eyes set upon the surface of the water, returning the sentiment received, waiting for further praise. One’s pride ached in hunger as much as a stomach, ego too requiring rekindling every so often.

Mutated arms rose to the sides, gloriously and gracefully, stating the majesty of the man-turned-idol to the eager followers. The gesture was enough for the subjects to lose themselves in the infinity of the depths, yet their return was quicker than before. There was no feed in what their carried, as instead they brought an inanimate object, a rotten chest that had hid somewhere below for an eternity. The three devotes joined efforts once again, and tossed the box atop the rock, at the bloody feet of their God. Large, wooden, reinforced, unopened. Presence of algae in several locations, strong smell of wooden decomposition mixed with the smell of salt. A closed padlock of large dimensions, of rusty metallic construction. A ponder, a grunt. A futile attempt to open the lock with interlocked tentacles and a harsh tug. A failure. A stride towards the edge of the island, a tentacle-infused limb pointing towards one of the three Mer that awaited. Humanoid, male, light hair, exotic features, bizarre. Heavy mutations below the waist, golden patterns on approximately sixteen tentacles. Common features amongst the subjects. Dubious at first, he approached the edge, and with his arms, he pulled himself up, outside the water.
As large as imagined, the Mer kept his gaze low before his Leviathan, approaching the chest with ungraceful flops, its tentacles unfit for land transportation. A harpoon lunged forth, hitting the padlock, shattering it open with a single attempt. Impressive display of prowess from the humanoid, thought Kovic, as he approached the open chest. Within it, Kovic found no trace of food. Black, onyx coins with no end waited within, untouched by the dampness of the ocean. Jewels of shiny materials and precious stones, gleaming for the first time in forever. Scrolls and parchments waiting, dry and old, to be read by someone. Wealth to buy an entire settlement, to build a massive army, to never again lift a finger and being unable to spend one’s wealth in a single lifetime. Documents that condemned entire governments, that held decrypted secrets that explained the Original Beings, their mysteries, their origins, their connection to Emea; information that could change the word if only one read through them, through a single line, or a single word. The results of a hundred men’s lifetime work buried in the bottom of the ocean, in the rolled up papers that begged to be re-opened.

Kovic, unable to understand the value of coin, unable to read, was furious. Tentacles dug within the chest, and found only treasure. No meat, no prey, no banquet. Livid, outraged. The chest was shut harshly, and the sole of a red-tainted foot pushed the chest back over the edge, condemning it to yet another lifetime of wait in the bottom of the ocean. A monstrous roar, eyes fixing upon the scared Mer, an accusing tentacle pointing towards the ocean creature. The Mer, firm believer of his Leviathan, died in shame now, as his own harpoon stabbed through his belly. Bringing dishonor to one’s deity is unforgivable, the Mer was thinking, as now he died at Kovic’s feet.

A cadaver, fresh, large. The appetite was awakened, and so Kovic did not doubt to devour the remains of the Mer, whilst the remains of the small tribe watched – witnessed, even, what happened if one failed to satisfy the Leviathan’s hunger.

Thanks to Jade for this amazing template!

[Limbo]

Nothing but the roar of the mighty waves disturbed Kovic whilst he fed himself. Painful gags brought forth undigested pools of blood, the male’s throat burning under the constant waves of vomit. The amniotic sack his body had formed around the corpse was growing smaller, yet the recently-ascended Leviathan could consume nothing. Everything that was shredded within said sack escaped through the male’s mouth, leaked through the imperfectly mutated digestive tracts. Not one droplet more could be consumed by his frame, yet his mind still suffered from eternal hunger. No matter how much feed he forced within him, he never managed to escape famine.

As he suffered, Kovic got the time to think about his current situation. Being fed by these creatures, being loved and accepted was quite a good deal. It eliminated the need to blend in and assume identities, and removed the need to actively search for ways to satiate his hunger. However, the housing situation was rather lacking, and the isolation would imply a constant dependency upon his subjects. On land, he was allowed more freedom, and the ability to control his fate through his own efforts. Despite the ocean-people’s acceptance of him, the decision was rather clear. Standing up, his tentacle limbs wrapped around the amniotic sack, and drug it with him towards the edge of the rocks.
The two remaining subjects still watched, and now that the Leviathan showed intentions of further communication, the telepathic ovation was resumed almost immediately. Standing up as tall as he could, a tentacle would point towards the wooden remains of what was once a boat.

No response. No motion.

Kovic signaled towards it once again, with a small grunt, which was interrupted by yet another wave of red vomit. Upon returning his eyes towards the surface of the water, however, Kovic found no eyes, and his mind found no praise. Focusing entirely on the devouring of the large Mer, vomit after vomit the body was converted into red vomit, and so the island was tainted once again. Kovic felt exhausted by now, as constant mutation and digestion took its toll upon his body. Obeying his primal instincts, the naked male laid down on the rock, curled himself into a ball, and closed his eyes.

His dreams consisted of him walking through the woods, eyes looking up at the skies, ears following the harsh wailings of white birds that drew circles between the branches of the trees. There was more to them, yet he couldn’t recall anything else once he woke up, the sound of wood banging against the rock waking him up – along with the mental ovation that bombarded his brain, of course. The nap ended, and the male incorporated himself. His body, still partially mutated, yet far mildly than it was mid-feast, approached the small wooden boat brought by the two subjects. Wooden, medium-sized, functional. Blood stains splattered on the insides, fresh, partially smeared due to the water. No items of interest within, no oars included. Similar to the vessel first boarded. Partially outraged, Kovic returned to the edge of the rock, and with his tentacle limbs he pointed towards the two subjects that still obeyed his whims. Then, by clashing his tentacles together, and furrowing his brow, he signaled the need for a battle between the two.

Hesitation at first, followed by reluctance, the battle was over quite soon. The Mer faced one another, and in incredible speed, one lunged the other. Amidst the forest of tentacles and the cloud of red beneath, no signs of survivors was seen at first. Kovic waited, and eventually his wait rewarded him with the survivor emerging the red-tainted waters. Humanoid, female, dark hair, exotic features, bizarre. Heavy mutations below the waist, golden patterns on approximately sixteen tentacles. The first individual spotted from his previous vessel, staring back at him submissively. Distress was present in her features, and her telepathic messages spoke of great pain, of morose praise and forgotten grace. Emotions Kovic could not understand, that is, but he could guess based upon his general knowledge of psychology.
Approaching the edge, the Leviathan crouched down, and a tentacle was offered towards the female. A beckon, a signal of allowed approach, and the female swam forth. A smile was given, kind, gentle, and compassionate, and the female’s teary remnants were wiped by a smile of her own. Sharp teeth, dangerous, efficient. Their hands touched, and so Kovic gently tugged on her further, the female Mer, leader of her Tribe, crawling out of the water, positioning herself before her Leviathan. Accepted she felt. Honored, blessed.
Kovic wrapped his arms around her, accepting her indeed. She imitated his motion, strange sounds escaping her throat. Unexperienced wails, mixture of pain and joy the sentiment recognized by Kovic. And as she wept into the arms of her deity, the Leviathan armed himself with a small rock, and amidst her cries, he struck her skull once, twice, and thrice, before she could react. Partial fracture of the skull, irreparable damage to the brain, and abundant blood-loss stated her death.

Only blood was enough to satisfy the Leviathan.

Thanks to Jade for this amazing template!

[Limbo]

Afternoon

The seagull.

Medium to large bird, grey or white in feather color, with black markings in its head or wings. Harsh wailings, long beaks. Carnivorous diets, predatory and or opportunistic feeders. Almost four pounds in mass, thirty inches in wingspan, sixty inches in length. A delicious meal, flying up in the sky, tracing circles and patterns, squawking as it repeated the same cycle, the same loop over and over again.
Kovic watched it through the past day, and now that he found himself on a boat again, he kept watching. It was a lonesome journey what he currently experienced, a creature incapable of swimming, trapped in a rowboat with no oars. The current of the ocean drug his boat away, the waves rocking his bed as his blue eyes longed for the shore. Tired, and with a full belly, the male had fallen into that lethargic calm proper of any well-fed child. His ability had retreated long ago, limbs once again human, tongue once again trapped within his mouth, being currently nothing more than a regular, naked human floating under the retreating sunlight.
By itself, his head reached outside the boat, and with an intense gag, he vomited yet another batch of red remains, the female Mer still unable to be processed by the fully-fed body. No matter how much he vomited, the waters were still blue. Was this mass of salt water so gigantic? He missed a peer, its company, the act he had to perform to satisfy it. He could find company with a peer, now that he was as satisfied as he was. How much longer could he go on? The day was about to end – would he make it to the morning? Would talking to himself satisfy his social needs? Perhaps he should try, at least to pretend he wasn’t as lonely as he was.

The seagull.

Medium to large bird, grey or white in feather color, with black markings in its head or wings. Harsh wailings, long beaks. Carnivorous diets, predatory and or opportunistic feeders. Almost four pounds in mass, thirty inches in wingspan, sixty inches in length. A delicious meal, flying up in the sky, tracing circles and patterns, squawking as it repeated the same cycle, the same loop over and over again.
Kovic’s eyelids fought to remain open, as sleep was slowly stalking him, wishing for his demise, eager to take him to yet another bizarre dream. The eccentric Mortalborn couldn’t help but smile at the recent memory of the Mer, of their praise and their ovations. It felt good. Unique moments of sincerity and self-realization, thought Kovic. The ocean’s gusts of cold wind ate through Kovic’s body heat, the male shivering in his endless sojourn towards the nothingness. Perhaps this boat would be his death, though Kovic, as he sighed. A hand rose towards his chest, feeling the unnaturally fast heartbeats roaring beneath his chest. No variation in their rhythm was detected, and so no fear of imminent death had seeped within his mind. Fighting gravity, his head rose to gape upon the horizon, in search of land, of refuge, yet finding nothing but the blue, rippling eternity. Exhaling once more, Kovic would lay his head back down, and his eyes once again focused towards the dome of the world.

The seagull.

Medium to large bird, grey or white in feather color, with black markings in its head or wings. Harsh wailings, long beaks. Carnivorous diets, predatory and or opportunistic feeders. Almost four pounds in mass, thirty inches in wingspan, sixty inches in length. A delicious meal, flying up in the sky, tracing circles and patterns, squawking as it repeated the same cycle, the same loop over and over again.
A lazy hand reached up, fingers closing on the nothingness, eyes being fooled by their perspective, believing that he had at last caught the bird. How could one reach something that stood so high above the ground? Could he mutate part of his body in order to acquire wings? Perhaps he too could find a way to surf the clouds, to trace invisible characters in the air. Maybe he should try it, and maybe his body would obey his desire to achieve flight.
His stomach growled, and Kovic’s palm went to comfort it with a gentle rub. He was starting to feel a light hunger growing within him, a light moan of displeasure escaping him as he awkwardly shifted in his bed-boat. Would the hunger ever end? One day, thought Kovic, he would eat so much that the sensation would forever disappear. Until then, he had to eat something, anything, and, whilst he was trapped in the boat, that could only be…

The seagull.

Thanks to Jade for this amazing template!

[Rumour]

Name: Kovic

Knowledge:
Seagull: Appearance
Seagull: Behaviour
Seagull: Diet
Sea: Made of undrinkable saltwater
Race: Mer
Mer: Part humanoid, part cephalopod
Mer: Worship large water creatures
Mer: Live in tribes
Mer: Telepathic
Mortal Born Ability (Perfect Organism): Spawns mutations on your body in times of need
Mortal Born Ability (Perfect Organism): The ability can be self-triggering
Mortal Born Ability (Perfect Organism): Has an innate instinct for survival
Mortal Born Ability (Perfect Organism): Difficult to control in dire circumstances
Mortal Born Ability (Perfect Organism): The mutations are ever-changing
Perfect Organism (Form): Tentacle mutations
Mortal Born Ability (Famine): Insatiable hunger
Mortal Born Ability (Famine): Uncontrollable and always there
Detection: More details can be gathered the longer one watches
Detection: How to survey one’s surroundings
Medicine: How to gauge the speed of one’s pulse
Psychology: Being alone can be a lonely experience
Psychology: Body language can be as useful for communication as words
Psychology: The desires of a mind bent on servitude
Psychology: Ego, like hunger, can be insatiable
Psychology: The appearance of emotional distress
Psychology: Praise brings gratification and positive emotions
Leadership: A leader must have loyal followers
Leadership: Give the people what they want
Leadership: How to give orders

Loot: I completely appreciate the poetry of Kovic being trapped in the rowboat and really loved reading this thread. That said, he has no money or possessions and so would not be able to own a rowboat. As per Jade’s announcement on Dec. 5th, we’re asking players to deduct the cost of all items they possess IC from their ledger.

Normally, I would ask you to deduct the -200gn cost for the rowboat. I’ll make an exception since it was used only as a prop in your story for a very brief period of time and the announcement came into place several months after you started the thread. (Though if you want to add the rowboat to your possessions, you will need to deduct the cost.) Please note that you will be expected to deduct the cost of all items from your ledger in future, or write a thread showing how Kovic obtained the item(s). Give me a shout if you have any questions!

Injuries: Your use of your mortalborn abilities has taken several trials off your life. Kovic has also started to grow more addicted to the ability “Perfect Organism”.
Fame: -5 for murdering the Mer leader, -1 bad deed for forcing the two Mer to fight to the death, -1 bad deed for inadvertently causing the suicide of a Mer through your displeasure at their gift
Devotion: N/A

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 0/5
Structure: 5/5

- - -

Comments: Loved this! Beautifully written, Kovic. Fantastic concept of your character being worshipped by the Mer tribe for being a "leviathan," and really interesting exploration of his brush with power and complete adoration. It also speaks to the fickleness of the "gods"/those in power and the psychology of those who worship them. I thought this was a brilliant story, and especially enjoyed the repetitiveness of the seagull imagery and how you wrapped it up in the same way that you started it. It was perfectly cyclical and showed the fleetingness of power, fame, and life itself. Wonderful work!

A quick CS reminder: Please add your thread list to your character sheet.

Looking forward to your next thread!

If you feel I've missed anything or if you have questions about your review, please don't hesitate to send me a quick PM. Thanks!