Forums » General Roleplay » Trick or Treat: Bender Of Iron Will

Halloween, the greatest day in the year! The only day Bender could dress up as a true pirate without the guards trying to arrest him. He could even go to people's houses and demand their finest sweets, though when a man his age does that, it's usually frowned upon. This year, though, Bender had an opportunity.

His ship broken down heavily by the storms of late, this was his chance to turn his ship into a ghost ship! And with help from some of his more loyal crew members he managed to do just so. The Moneymaker was turned into The Flying Dutchman, the most famous ghost ship around! The sails were turned black and riddled with rips and shreds. The hull was empty with a few gaping holes leading down into the belly of the ship. The whole vessel had an eerie feeling, though there were few ghouls or pumpkins to be found on deck. Bender was mostly proud that he could don his pirate flag once more.

Giantsport was filled to the brink with decorations just for Halloween. Children and adults alike were dressed up for this day, and most stores, homes and bars would happily hand out sweets. Tonight was the night not to kill the monstrous creatures in this world, but to enjoy their company. Bender and part of his crew were dressed in white and were powdered white as well to resemble ghostly pirates. Even his mechanical arm was covered in white!

A walking board was put so people could enter his ship, together with a sign that said "Trick or Treaters welcome. Candy inside... if you dare."

Bender would be found covered by his cloak, playing the violin whilst lazily laying down on the railing of his ship. Him, together with the few crew on deck, seemed to shine in the moonlight and candles. The ghostly effect did its job well.

Mimi was thrilled that it was Halloween at least. It mattered not to her that she was 'too old' to go out gathering candy. She'd simply shoot anyone who refused her.

She was quite a sight to see at the moment. Her once blonde hair dyed six or seven different, unnatural colours and tied back in what, for anyone else, would have been a tidy half pony. For Mimi, it was more of a jumbled rats nest of twists and weaves and braids. She wore a silver spandex one piece, that buttoned up the middle, but was left mostly undone, and green hiking boots. Her left arm was robotic and had been twirled with little orange lights. Her face was unpainted, only adorned with a half crazed look in her eyes, that sent people scampering.

She approached the ghost ship with no caution, what so ever. Clearly not afraid of what could lay inside. "Trick or treat or both, or boom." She giggled manically.

Bender Of Iron Will abruptly stopped playing his violin and looked over at Mimi, grinning widely." 'n what're ya supposed ta be, Sunshine? Somethin' a rainbow puked out?" He laughed heartily as he got up, placing his violin against a candle stand.

"Welcome to the flyin' Dutchman, lass. Me name be Bender O' Iron Will. I'd gladly give ye some treats, but I'm afraid I've misplaced 'em somewhere in me ship's belly." He chuckled again at the pun he accidentally made."Yer welcome ta look fer yer booty o' course. But this ship be haunted. There's ghosts everywhere roamin' 'bout." His eyes were drawn on the lights on her arm. Nothing special in a steampunk world that had just recently discovered electricity, but this woman was quite original with its usage. He blinked when he noticed the thing they had in common as he raised his own steel arm underneath the shredded powdered rags."I see yer as capable as I am. I believe ye won't have no trouble lookin' for yer booty."

Mimi frowned at his comment about what she was. Well she was a human, Mimi to be specific...wasn't she? What if she wasn't human at all?! No,no. She calmed herself down. She was. Everything was okay. She might have been offended, if she'd been capable of such emotion. She was after all, not dressed up at all, but wearing what she would have on any given day. As it was though, the only emotion readily noticeable on her thin face, was a visage of insanity.

So she would have to brave a haunted ship to find her treats? Well, could be fun. She was always looking for a thrill, and this certainly counted. This man, had a mechanical arm as well, how very coincidental. Perhaps it was a conspiracy. Her eyes shifted around suspiciously for several minutes, until she'd once again managed some amount of normalcy.

"I'll take your ship on. But I can't promise it will remain intact in the process." She said with a gleeful giggle.

Bender Of Iron Will grinned."Not much left o' it anyway. If ya sink it, I'll be forced ta saw yer legs off, though." He chuckled softly."Allow me to be ye guide." He said as he grabbed a nearby lantern dangling on a steel chain, though with the light Mimi gave it was quite obsolete."The ship be quite big 'n riddled with holes. Ye might drop in 'em with yer weight."

Bender lead the girl to the stairs that would lead down to the belly of the ship. On the way there there was hardly any light, and it was easy to trip downwards. As soon as the pair managed to walk downstairs, the place was completely dark. The only thing the two could see were walls of wooden boxes and... two corpses hanging from the ceiling. Both of them looked like commoners and had expressions of agony on their faces."Huh. Don't remember puttin' those up. Alright, lil' runt. Yer booty's somewhere through this maze o' boxes 'n horror." He explained, ignoring the fact there's two corpses dangling near them."Be a sweetheart 'n don' break me boxes. Or I'll have ta break ye instead." The pirate warned her.

Mimi giggled in a rather unstable manner. Don't tempt her old man. She wouldn't do anything for now, but she did so love destroying things, and she loved a goof fight even more. She certainly did not seem intimidated by him words. She looked up at the corpses hanging above her, she did not react as many woman would have. She seemed...disinterested. She had no care for the lives of others. Mimi was not capable of such emotion.

It would seem, she only had one emotion, and that was giddy... well alright, she had a definite underlying streak of insanity in there somewhere as well. She started ahead, not bothering to wait and see if the man would follow. She had a treat to find... or a ship to blow up.

The little girl pulls at her nurse maid's hand, trying to urge her forward. "Hurry! Hurry! There are more!"

The tiny drowess is dressed in yellow, with a cap of yellow feathers with an orange bill stuck to it. She's a duck. She's also carrying a well-worn stuffed duck, threadbare in multiple places.

"No, no, slow down," insists her maid servant Alexandria. "That one's a haunted ship, it's too scary for you little lass."

"Ghosts don't play the violin!" Aria insists, and digs her heels in, leans forward, and "drags" her nurse maid across the plank. "Trick or treat! Trick or treat!"

Bender Of Iron Will had not been worrying over the random corpses dangling in the bowels of the ship. There were more people on the deck! One of Bender's crew already introduced the ship to the little Elf and her nurse though."Welcome, little lady, and hopefully single other lady." The sailor winked at Alexandria. The man wore the same outfit any pirate would, including a bandanna, only powdered white for the obvious ghost ship theme that was going on. Only his fluffy beard was still black, though it still had hints of flower in it."So, you want to look for candy on The Flying Dutchman, do you? Very brave, I must say." At this point Bender reached the deck.

"Get to yer post, ya slimey dog! There's a luminous rainbow blob down 'n yer supposed to scare 'er 'till she cries fo' 'er mother!" He yelled at the bearded pirate, who on his turn ran downwards, blowing a kiss towards Aria's nurse before disappearing into the darkness."Egh. Give 'em ale 'n they think they be captain." He chuckles as he towers above the little Elf." 'n what're ye, huh? A duck?" He grins as he lowers his lantern next to her face."Yer free to all the booty yer belly can handle. But ye'll have ta travel through the spooky maze o' me ship first. Are ye brave enough for that, lil' bird?"

Meanwhile downstairs, Mimi would find herself surrounded by towering walls of wooden boxes. Though with the light she gave, she could most likely see the jumpscares that awaited her; skeletons dropping from above, ghosts that would pop up from the ground if she stepped on the trigger, etc. The way to the candy would not be a difficult one for her.

The nurse at first blushes, looks flattered, and then remembers to scowl and look dour as she's showered with compliments.

Aria nods enthusiastically as her costume is recognized. "Yes, a duck," she confirms proudly. At Bender's approach, she extends her treat bag nervously, only to shrink back and clutch both the bag and the threadbare duck to her tiny body at the mention of the haunted maze that needs exploring. She looks up at her nurse for guidance.

With a heavy sigh, Alexandria leans down and hefts Aria onto her hip, groaning slightly. "Oh, child, you're getting so big. I'll walk you through the maze myself." The pirate is fixed with a withering stare. "No funny business, you understand? You pop out and you say boo. No touching."

Bender Of Iron Will couldn't really contain his grin, his next words were dead serious."Ma'am, I'm not sure how ye think a ship works, but all the people who're NOT me have no say o'er what goes 'n don't go 'ere. I'll be the one ta decide how we frighten yer precious lil' ducky." He spoke as he tapped Aria's head gently with his steel hand. The taps might feel a bit harder than they're supposed to be.

"Allow me ta lead ye down the belly o' me ship." The pirate said as he clutched his lantern and lead the pair downstairs, should they follow. Once down the corpses would still be hanging there with the same look of agony on their faces, and once more would Bender completely ignore them."There's the maze, lil' ducky." Bender chuckled."If yer lady wishes, she can borrow me lantern. I'm a nice guy like that."

The maid's eyes narrow, and there's a pause in which she's obviously considering just turning around and leaving with her charge. Finally, she says, "People know where we are, sir," and marches imperiously past him, only to then have to stop and be led to the maze. Her haughtiness loses some of its effect.

Aria twines her arms around her nurse's neck, peeking out from under her white hair at the "corpses". Alexandria wraps one arm under the child's buttocks to support her, and with the other hand takes the lantern.

The maid, on the older side and burdened with a growing child, shuffles on into the maze with her little charge.

Bender Of Iron Will couldn't help but chuckle at the distrust of Alexandria. He wasn't planning on harming a child. Perhaps he would make her scream more than once, or perhaps get very frightened whenever she saw a ghost ship, but it would all stay innocent.

The old captain took a shortcut through the maze after saying "see ye on the other side... I hope." With his usual devious grin. The white powdered man disappeared into the darkness and left the pair alone to traverse through the maze.

The lantern gave enough light to see what was on the floor so one wouldn't trip. But it didn't give enough vision to see all the jumpscares that awaited the pair; skeletons falling from the roof, dark figures silently walking from one part of the maze to the other only to disappear, hands reaching from the ground to Alexandria's leg, one of the hands being of the same pirate that had tried to flirt with her earlier. He could possibly be recognized if either the nurse or the duck heard the words "this is the best job I've ever had."

Soon though this horrific maze would be finished, and either the pair of ladies or Mimi would reach the center, where a lantern hung over a large kettle filled to brink with all sorts of sweets. A sign would sit next to it saying "The end... or is it?" Candles dimly illuminated this area and revealed yet more corpses hanging around the kettle! One of them was even a pirate who dyed himself white.

By the time the pair reach the center of the maze, Aria is clinging to her nurse and wailing softly. Poor thing -- she's quite small for this kind of thing! Alexandria looks ruffled, perhaps a bit more than one might expect from an adult going through a haunted house. But most adults are not charged with keeping noble children safe.

"There now child, I've got you. Just lean right down there and get a bit of candy," Alexandria urges, and has to spend several moments coaxing before Aria leans down and takes a single piece of candy. Alexandria helps her put it into her bag, and then looks around for some sign of how to escape the maze.

It hadn't taken very long at all to get to the center of the maze, though she'd taken a wrong turn at some point along the way, so she hadn't made it there until after the woman and her crying charge.

Mimi didn't seem quite perturbed by what she'd seen within the maze, though she had been getting antsy to get to the candy. When she did get there, without even, the use of explosives, she cheered loudly, and rushed to the bowl and grabbed, well... more then one piece anyway, possibly more of a handful.

Bender came from behind a corner, clapping with a huge grin on his face."Well done, lil' birds. Ye've shown yer courage 'n..." The old man was visibly shocked as he saw even more men hang. He recognized them as his prisoners, but the man powdered white was one of his crew! He could no longer ignore these hangings anymore."WHO DID THIS!?" He yelled from the top of his lungs in pure anger. The hanged sailor was but a wee lad, no older than fifteen. Bender's cries seemed to have alerted something else."We did." A voice echoed.

From the ground a group of at least ten apparitions appeared. All of them were transparent and had a green glow to them. All of these ghosts were dressed in the traditional pirate's clothing; bandannas, striped shirts and leather jackets as well as short baggy pants and sandals. Only the leader of the group looked different. He was a lot taller than the rest of the ghostly group, wearing large pointed boots, tight pants and a long leather coat with wide gloves to go with it. His hat was very large with a feather flowing onto his shoulder. The most obvious thing about this spirit was his large beard that was tucked into his shirt."Ye must be the captain making me and my men look like a children's attraction." He sounded angry."What makes ye think ye can make fun o' the Flying Dutchman and her crew, little man?"

Anyone with a sense of history would recognize this man now. Captain Vander Decker, better known as The Dutchman. Legends spoke of how cruel this man and his followers were to his victims. So cruel in fact that one day they captured a Warlock, who had cursed their souls to roam the sea forever more and their ship to float around aimlessly for all eternity before they chopped off his legs and threw him into the ocean for the sharks. Looks like the curse was still in effect, as the man's apparition stood before everyone.

"Me bein' alive." Bender grinned widely as his crew appeared from every corner and hole. The old captain nodded behind him as he looked at his visitors, inclining that the exit was behind him. Things were about to get wild, he knew. The little Drow was scared already. She didn't need to see no blood.

Decker was not amused by the cocky captain's answer."Don't bother hanging this lot!" He yelled."Gut all of them! No survivors!" The ghosts drew their weaponry, which also had a ghostly look about them. Bender Of Iron Will and his crew answered by drawing their swords and guns.

Alexandria nearly swore, but she was far too much a lady's maid for all that. Clutching her charge and the stuffed duck close as she could, she bolted for the exit that Bender indicated behind him, determined to get off the ship and home safe before all the shooting began!