24 replies to this topic

[anguish]

The chains grate across your skin as you struggle against them. They wrap around your wrists and ankles, one length attached to the wall behind you. You cell is tiny. You can't stretch very much, nor can you even stand up. A bucket and some hay lay stashed in one corner.
__________________________________________________

"Will you take the job?" The young women asks. She looks in your eyes, tears streaming down hers.
Money, and lots of it was offered to retrieve the young woman's child, kidnapped by it's father.
"I beg of you! But please, don't hurt Wilfred..." She blabbers.
The women had once been married, her noble family pleading with her not to marry the vagabond. Love triumphed and a baby boy was soon born.
The baby was only three weeks old when the father had kidnapped his child and set a hefty ransom for him.
You close your eyes and nod in agreement.
__________________________________________________

It wasn't very hard to find out where Wilfred was staying. He gloated to everyone about the money he was soon to come in contact with, already owing many gambling establishments.
The Sweet Plum, an inn as well as a whore house. Each room came with it's own whore. All of Wilfred's money was 'invested' in one room.

You lean against the window to see if it would rise, a little pressure and it slid across, silently. You jump through into the bathroom. The climb up had been easy due to the rugged bricks. There had been no one else around either and the inn seemed eerily silent, as if everyone was sleeping. Muffled chatter could be heard from behind the door. You can't make it out though.

All of a sudden, the door swings open, smashing you in the face, knocking you over. A large man stares down at you. He shacks his head.
"Doesn't look like a hooker to me, she's got weapons." He bends down and picks you up, turning and thrusting you through the door into the bedroom. Three other men were in the room, one sat on a bed holding something in his hands, smoking a huge cigar, another was kneeling behind the bed and the last was standing by the door. A wicked looking scimitar held in his hands.
The one from behind the bed stood up, he was hideously ugly, there was nothing to compare him to. Blood dripped from his hands and more was splattered across his face. You stare down and see blood slowly crawl from around the bed.
"She here for the baby as well?" The one sitting on the bed asked. He looked down at the bundle in his hands.
"The baby or him." Said the huge guy, motioning behind the bed.
The one by the door started to walk towards you, he bends down and grabs your face in his grubby hand, turning it this and that way. The scimitar scraping across the ground A sinister smile revealed yellow rotten teeth.
"She's mine..." He licked his lips.
"Enough Shocker, we have work to do." Said the one on the bed, the sound of breathing could be heard from within the bundle in his lap.
Shocker rolled you onto your back, he dribbled as he stared at your breasts, rising up and down.
"Kill her!" Screeched the ugly one, he licked his fingers of the remaining blood that hadn't come of onto his pants.
Shocker jumped up! "I said she's mine!" He thrust his scimitar towards the ugly one.
The ugly one snorted, "Try it..." He invited.
Stepping forward the huge man picks you up and throws you over his shoulder. "I'll protect you..." He whispers to you.
Shocker darts around starring at the huge man.
"Rooooock!!!" Shocker screams! An ugly look crossed his face. he turned his back to the group and thrust his scimitar back into it's sheath. With out another word he stalked to the door, opened it and stormed out.
The on holding the bundle stood up, clutching it tightly. "I'll get this back to the rich folk and get the payment, you two get back to the ship. The Captain said we set sail as soon as we get back. The others have returned."
Your glaze starts to get more cloudy and you slip into unconsciousness.
__________________________________________________

You wake up to find yourself in a cell.
The huge man called Rock sat on a chair on the other side of the bars, his head slumped in sleep.
The floor seemed to be moving, up and down, slowly.
A candle sat on a small table, illuminating the room just enough to make out a few other cells and a door. There were two other people in the other cells. They didn't move nor make any sound.

[arrowfodder]

Vixen tried not to make any movements, even though her body ached and the needs to stretch was nearly overwhelming. She knew the chains would clink and rattle if she did, and she didn't want to do anything that might wake the man named Rock from his slumber. She didn't know how far the chains would let her move, but she guessed it wasn't enough for her to get to the man. She had to find a way to get free and soon, before anyone else came to check on the guard that was catching up on his beauty sleep. She looked to the cells next to her, wondering who the other people were, and how they managed to get there as well.

[anguish]

Suddenly, the floor starts to lurch up and down violently. A gale could be heard, wind blowing furiously! Loud crashes up against the walls helped the floors rock.
The chair Rock was sitting on collapsed and Rock was thrown to the side. He landed with a loud crash, taking out the little side table. The other two prisoners looked at Rock, not saying a word, a terrified look in their eyes. They gripped their cell bars as if their lives depended on them.
Rock sat up, rubbing his head. Reaching forward he picked up the little table and placed it back onto it's feet. The candle somehow managed to stay alight, upright in it's holder.
The floors continued to lurch so he poured some wax onto the table and stuck the candle and it's holder onto the wax, sealing it to the table.
Unfolding his feet, Rock stood up and brushed himself off. He turned to the other two prisoners. They shied right back from the bars, getting as far back into the cell as they could. They closed their eyes and started to whimper.
He sat back down onto the chair, the lurching floor not seeming to bother him.
"Awake are ye?" He said, turning to face Vixen.

[arrowfodder]

Vixen got to her feet, testing out how far she could move in her cell. "I am. Can't say I'm glad that you are." She looked at the other two prisoners, a a disgusted look on her face. "So who are my cellmates? More slaves you're planning on selling later?"

[anguish]

Rock looked at Vixen as she tried stretching out in her little cell. He ignored her first comment.
"The Black Company do not have slaves, nor do we deal with them." Out of his pocket he pulled out two shiny green apples. Taking a large chunk out of one, he tossed Vixen the other.
"You got a name?" Rock asked. He glanced around the room. The floor continued to rise and fall and actually started to get more violent. Rock seemed to ignore it like he was used to it. The other two in the cells looked more scared, cowering in their corners, as far from Rock as they could get.

[arrowfodder]

Vixen looked at the apple for a moment, eyeing it to see if there was any obvious defect in the perfect surface. "Vixen, and what do you mean The Black Company? Why am I in this cell if you don't deal with slaves?" She looked back over at the other two, cowering in fear from the man in front of her. "And what are your plans for them? And for me?"

Edited by arrowfodder, 11 November 2009 - 12:45 AM.

[anguish]

Rock continued to munch his apple and devoured it in a few bits, core and all.
"I like the crunchy bits.." He mumbled. "I am Rock, I like your name Vixxxen." He emphasized the x's, sounding funny with his deep voice.
He pointed towards the other two. "Do not worry for them, they don't have much time left."
A slight uncomfortably looking smile spread across his granite face. "You are in the cell because I saved you. Shocker would have hurt you bad." His smile disappeared and was replaced with a frown.
"The Captain said we keep you in there until we know who you really are." The frown disappeared.
"The Captain said you were unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong... Umm... Time? I think that's what he said."
Suddenly the ship lurched violently to one side, then roughly to the other side.
"You are on The Black Companies ship, in the Sea of Torments, heading to Chimney. We are in the middle of a storm I think..."

[arrowfodder]

Vixen was now feeling uncomfortable around the man. She thanked every god she could think of that she still had her clothes, but she longed for a weapon. "What do you mean they don't have much time left? What are you going to do with them? And why does the Captain care? What does he want with me? Does he want me the same reason your friend Shocker did?"

[anguish]

Rock listened to Vixen. He stared at her for a few moments, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"You remind me... of my... sister. She was hurt, the same way Shocker wanted to hurt you..." He looked away from her. "You don't need to be scared, no one will hurt you."
Rock took a minute to compose himself.
He turned back to Vixen. "We are The Black Company. Mercenaries. Our job was to recover the child and kill the man. You shouldn't have been there... I brought you along so Shocker wouldn't hurt you. Shocker is gone, he never returned to the ship. We didn't have time to find him. The Captain said to get rid of you, I said you were a fighter, you would join us..."

[arrowfodder]

Vixen looked at the man, and sat down on the floor of her cell, still holding the apple he had offered her in one hand. "Okay, so that means you didn't bring me a long for what I thought you were bringing me along for. So....if you want me to join you, why am I in chains?" She pulled at them to make her point, the sound of rattling and clinking metal adding to the mixture of the frightened people in the other cells.

Edited by arrowfodder, 11 November 2009 - 01:27 AM.

[anguish]

"The Captain doesn't know you. The Captain doesn't trust you. The Captain says I need to find out if you are trustful... Vixen, are you trustful? Would you like to join us? There is great fun in joining us. If you don't wish to join us, I will see you safely in Chimney. Before I release you from the chains and cell I need to know a little about your past. The Captain says I need to know more about you."

[arrowfodder]

Vixen thought about Rock's offer for a moment. What could she tell him? Would they trust a deserter in their midst? "Well, a steady job as a mercenary would be a nice change. I would accept the offer, but I would have to ask if you would be willing to take on an Imperial deserter." She took a bite of the apple she was offered, and thought over what she would tell him.

"My father was a career soldier, and proud of it. The military was his life, and I was expected to follow in his footsteps when I was old enough. I did, and I was proud to serve alongside him. Our company had laid siege to a small city, and when we finally broke through we were ordered to leave no one alive. My father refused to follow the order, and let civilians escape the wrath of his fellow soldiers. When the officers found out he was dragged away in chains as a traitor." She stopped a moment to catch her breath. She felt her body shaking a little, the memories flooding back into her mind. "Do you know what they do to the families of traitors? I was lucky. With all of the confusion following the killing and looting I managed to get away before I could be located. I've been selling my services as a blade for hire since."

She looked at Rock, her face full of uncertainty, wondering what he would do now. "I just put my life in your hands Rock, but now I have to wonder: What are you going to do with it?"

[anguish]

"I think you tell the truth." Jack replied with a smile on his face. "I am happy. I will let the Captain know."
Rock stood up and pushed the chair aside. Digging his hand into a little side pocket he pulled out a small brass key. Making his way towards Vixen's cell he went to place the key in the keyhole.

All of a sudden the ship stopped violently then drastically shifter course. The ship had crashed into something. Moments later the side of the room was shredded apart by a huge jagged rock, one of the other cells was crushed and the prisoner inside vanished within the sea. Part of the cell flew through the air and crashed into Rock, knocking him over. The key slid across the room while Rock lay motionless.
The other prisoner still alive seemed like he wanted to yell out for help, but his eyes kept darting towards Rock.

[arrowfodder]

"Rock! Get up!" She looked at the other prisoner and started trying to shake the bars of her cell. "Shake! See if they'll come loose! Water's going to come pouring in here any time now!" She started pulling and pushing, trying to shake the bars to see if the damage done to the ship had also affected the bars. There was a small matter of getting out of the chains, but one problem at a time for the moment.

[anguish]

Water continues to pour into the room, slowly filling one corner. The other prisoner just stares at Vixen, not knowing what to do. His gaze shoots back to Rock, then the water, then back to Vixen. He didn't know where to look. He looked terrified and his bottom lip was shivering profusely.