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Post by Hugo on Jun 25, 2015 8:05:22 GMT -6
The storm had died down sometime after the night. The old pirate ship had survived the storm and the unsucessful raid on the merchant ship. But he ship had been damaged and was in need of repairs. Also the pirate ship had been blown off course and ended up on the southern tip of the isles. Near the mountains of Edina. While most of the crew went off into land to try and harvest any materials they could use to repair the ship. Hugo decided to head down to the brig and tend to their guest. Now Hugo had his suspicions that this man was special. Few people in the world manage to grow to be this huge, strong, and survive for long. He saw this all the time in the natural world. The biggest baddest male gets to mate with those in the harem, only to later grow old, or be pushed out by rival males. He was surprised people hadn't killed this man out of sheer jealousy. From what he was told the man proved to be a decent fighter and it took them a while to bring him down. A man like this would be an asset to the crew.
He sighed. He had the difficult task of convincing the red clad man to join the crew. Especially, after the way the group had been treating him. Like some sort of animal. He would have to deliver some choice words with the crew later on properly handling "cargo". He took a seat on the nearby stool and waited. If the reports from the ship's healer were correct this was about the right time for him to start waking up. They had kept the sir under control using a variety of chains on his wrists, legs, and a sleep staff. The man in the cell started to stir.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jun 27, 2015 19:33:40 GMT -6
Deja vu.
It was the first thing the dragon felt after regaining consciousness. Deja vu. Had it all been a dream? The crater? The humans? The bars? The pirates? Had he found himself back in the earth, waking up after a long sleep and ready to tear himself out of the ground to find the world he remembered so fondly? It felt like it. He couldn’t see anything, and his mind was a blurry mess of black splashed with ripples and waves of undefinable color, the flailing of a brain deprived of sensory input. Every thought he germinated seemed to slip out the back of his head just before it could mature. His body barely responded to his thoughts. He could imagine his limbs moving, but if he was making them do so, he couldn’t feel it.
But Jabal knew better. It wasn’t a dream, and it was naive and foolish for him to even think it could have been. There was no pain in dreams, and no matter how much he wished for it to be otherwise, all he could feel was pain. Not physical pain, though that was slowly becoming more apparent as his body became less numb, but mental pain. Despair. Depression. Disgust. Each sat upon his shoulders like a stone. What had happened to Dakhm Qesherh Al-Jabal that he was to be brought so low? Over two thousand years of unsullied greatness smeared and stained by these repeated failures at the hands of humans. What had he done to deserve this? What had his people done?
As the dragon continued to emerging from his heavy unconsciousness, his body slowly regained feeling. His arms and his chest burned where he had been cut, meaning whatever wounds he had incurred had not fully healed. It also felt like someone had shoved their fingers into the back of his head and was slowly pulling his skull in two. It was excruciating, but Jabal endured the pain. It wasn’t like there was much he could do about it.
Jabal made to open his eyes, but his eyelids merely fluttered as they tried to shield the aching head of their master from any more stimulation. No, the Mountain would not take no for an answer. He groaned, forcing his eyes open and letting in a flood of light that his mind was not prepared for. The splitting pain in his head flared, eliciting a pained moan from the dragon’s lips. It was blinding, but only at first. Jabal’s brain worked quickly, turning the overwhelming brightness into something understandable. A bright room. A dark figure. Only two things could Jabal make out, but it was enough. The latter even moved. A human?
“W-where is... this?” Jabal slurred. His head rolled drunkenly on his shoulders, but his eyes had regained their ability to focus on individual objects that he could discern. “Whe… this?”
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Post by Hugo on Jun 29, 2015 15:02:42 GMT -6
“Oh, good you are you are waking up. My apologies for the way the crew treated you earlier. They.. will be disciplined accordingly.” Hugo’s voice called out towards the man in the cell. It was clear to the warrior that the man was still reeling through the effects of the sleep spells and injuries he sustained during capture.
“You are in the brig.” Hugo responded casually. He would wait some more before stating his demands. For now his main concern was those restraints upon the red man’s wrists and legs. Those heavy metal cuffs and chains would have to hold him; the rope they used last time was far to flimsy. The old warrior sighed and grabbed from the table a plate of food. It was mostly stale bread and some fruits that the crew had salvaged from the main land.
The food was edible. Any fish or wild game the crew caught would be given to the sailors over the “prisoners”. He also had with him some mugs of fresh water. The ship rocked and swayed lightly with the waves. This was a welcome change then to the raging tides the crew faced during the storm. Hugo sighed softly as he shooed off a few flies that wanted a portion of the meal. Once the man in the cell was well enough, he would shove the plate through the flaps in the gates.
“Come on now. Up! I do not have all day to wait for you to wake up from your beauty rest. There is food and fresh water here.” He spoke with a bit of impatience in his voice.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jun 30, 2015 18:53:52 GMT -6
The moment the man spoke was the moment when Jabal noticed the iron grate that separated the two of them. A cage? They were keeping him in a cage? Why? There was absolutely no way for them to know that he was dragonkind, so this must be punishment for killing his fellows. But then why keep him alive? Why not just kill him like he had killed them? It was far easier than subduing, capturing, and containing a hostage. They had to want something from him, but Jabal, his consciousness still recovering slowly, couldn't imagine what. He had nothing of value but the clothes on his back, and even then he couldn't imagine they'd fit anyone on this boat. Frankly the thought of any of these humans wearing his clothes infuriated him. The thought that he was being held captive on this boat by a bunch of pirates infuriated him even more, although the dragon's groggy state made it very difficult to express that anger.
“You are in the brig.”
The brig. That was the name for a type of human boat, was it not? It was also what humans called their prisons on ships, if Jabal recalled correctly, and that seemed to be the most likely use in this case. So, a prison, hmm? The very thought of being thrown into a prison, of being a prisoner, made Jabal seethe. He could feel anger begin to rise in his breast. The dragon had never once stepped foot into a prison. He found the idea very idea of imprisonment detestable. What use was throwing someone into a pit to rot? If a dragon of the Musenen Jabal committed a crime that was so heinous as to warrant removal, they were afforded two options: trial by combat against the Mountain, or exile. Those that chose exile were given a dangerous task to perform that, if completed, would allow admittance back into the clan granted the elders found them worthy. Those that chose combat, however, knew only death. After all, he, the Mountain, still lived.
Jabal grumbled as hatred and adrenaline pushed the drowsiness to the far edges of his vision. If only he could return to his true form, he could sink this ship in a moment, and watch the fear in these humans' eyes as they drowned! If only he could just get his hands around the neck of this arrogant wretch, he'd-
Something came clattering through an opening his cell door. His head cleared, Jabal's eyes zeroed in on the intruder. The dragon could make out a plate of food sitting on the floor in front of him. Fruit and bread. It looked old, stale. What was this chaff!? Did this human expect him to eat this? Was this how humans treated their prisoners? Was he supposed to eat this off of the floor like some animal? Humans were such base creatures. This pirate knew not whom he was dealing with!
“Come on now. Up! I do not have all day to wait for you to wake up from your beauty rest. There is food and fresh water here.”
With a roar, Jabal launched himself forward, throwing his hands towards the cell grate and fully intending to tear the barrier off of its flimsy, man-made hinges. But he did not. He could not. His arms would not extend. His legs would not move. The dragon looked down at himself to see that he was restrained by large manacles clasped around his ankles and wrists. He pulled at the metal chains, trying to tear them from the ship hull which they were bolted into, but although they creaked, they restraints would not budge. He could go no further, leaving Jabal to snarl helplessly at his dirty looking captor before sitting back down. Enraged, he took one look at his food, then upturned it with his foot and spat on its remains.
“I will not be spoken to in such a way, least of all by you,” Jabal growled, his voice deep with fury. His anger made him completely lucid. “If you want anything from me, you’ll feed me something of substance. Otherwise you might as well leave me here to rot.”
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Post by Hugo on Jul 3, 2015 21:12:51 GMT -6
"Given the circumstances of your situation.. what you so rudely tossed was of substance that we could spare. No matter then. You will learn the errors of your ways at some point. Perhaps when you are sitting in your cell with hunger in your belly." Hugo scoffed he did not have that much time to deal with the large man. At least the mugs of water were spared his wrath. If this goes poorly that may have been potentially your last meal.
"Despite what you may think or hate ye harbor for pirates.. I am trying to save your life. Perhaps you can give me a name. So I can simply stop calling you 'large red man'." He shook his head. As he continued to observe the large man's actions he began to mentally compare that to an angry wolf. The ship swayed once more. Hugo held up the mug of fresh water.
"Now.. let's try this again. I've got water here. I bet good coin that you be thirsty. You haven't had a drop to drink after the fight on the merchant ship. And that.. was over twelve hours ago. Not even the most powerful of creatures can resist thirst. If you can sit down and behave for a minute or so I might be kind enough to slide it through the bars." Hugo would have preferred if the large red man had scoffed down the food like some half starved animal. It would have made negotiations a bit more tolerable. But it was not to be, the red man's anger or pride had gotten the better of him. And now the mice of the ship were starting to nibble at the fallen scraps of food.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 6, 2015 22:47:41 GMT -6
“Call me what you like, you get no name,” came Jabal’s low growl. Names were for friends. Titles were for enemies. Filth like this deserved nothing more than scorn. The dragon could feel his fists tighten as he took a step back. Did this man think himself big because he controlled the food? Did he feel himself strong because he held the key to this iron cage? If he was truly powerful, let him step inside and go toe to toe with the Mountain himself. Jabal would show this human how fragile his place in the world really was.
But Jabal knew the man would not, and defiant as he tried to remain, the dragon’s eyes continued to jump uncontrollably to the tantalizing mug of water his jailor held. The water; he craved its nourishment. He wanted to refuse the mug, tell this man to go drown himself in it, but his body was giving into the thirst. Damn it! Damn this weak human flesh! Yes, dragons too needed water. They required food and drink like any other creature, but unlike humans dragons could survive long periods of time without consuming nourishment by slipping into deep hibernation that required little more sustenance than the ambient energy in the surrounding environment. How else had Jabal survived under the ground for so long?
But in this form? In this form that was no longer an option. When he had awoken Jabal hadn’t stopped eating for days, and now, even after only a week of meditating on that merchant ship Jabal had grown ravenous. Right now the Mountain’s stomach cried out for food, but he had thrown that small comfort in this human’s face so he was left to deal with the consequences. He did not regret his actions, he hated the idea of giving his captor any satisfaction or sway over him, but his parched throat felt like sandpaper, and his body screamed at him to accept the “gift”.
So Jabal gave in.
“Give me the water,” he ordered, sitting down on the floor and extending a hand towards the bars of his cell. He was negotiating with humans. They didn’t care for his well being. They didn’t care for anything but their own self-gain, and Jabal would damn himself to the Pits of Azharul before he let another gain something by killing him. The last one to do so had built a city in celebration. No, the Mountain stood tall, and he would survive even if it meant letting a human think himself Jabal's better.
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Post by Hugo on Jul 8, 2015 13:09:52 GMT -6
"Hm.. Very well, No name." Hug waited until the man in the cell complied. He had a bit of a smirk. He knew now he could exert some sort of hold over the prisoner by rationing out the food and water. The old warrior approached slowly he put the mug of water down gently. Then pushed it carefully towards the man in the cell using a modified stick. Not a drop of water was spilled, showing how many times Hugo had done this. He was not about to stick his hand into the cell where the man could grab him. Sticks with grapples were replaceable, limbs were not. Hugo returned to his seat. He looked out into the cage inspecting the man. He took note of the old battle scar and wondered what kind of weapon had given him that.
"So. No name. The crew has a bit of a proposition for you. It isn't every day we capture a man of your.. stature. We as pirates do not care for your history. We care not if up until recently you were trying to beat our heads in with your fists. That does not matter in the here and now. No Name, you have two choices. You can join us as a pirate or we toss you overboard." Hugo's voice was neutral. He had no intention of provoking the man in the cell. Provocation could lead to undesired responses.
"I will not go into the details of the pro's and con's of either side." Mostly the angry kind. Hugo took a moment to look out at the sunlight that was filtering in from the grate above them.
"Well.. I will simply tell you to think about it carefully. You have.." He paused for a moment. What's a reasonable amount of time to decide a man's fate?
"You have about ten minutes to decide."
Hugo whistled. From out of the shadows came a man with a staff along with two other's. Incase if the man tried anything funny, the man with the nightmare staff could put him to sleep. Or at the very least cause him to become very drowsy. Hugo was taking precaution not to let any mishaps happen. The old warrior casually pulled out his axe and whet stone and began to sharpen it. No sense in wasting ten minutes sitting here like a princess.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 10, 2015 19:42:45 GMT -6
"I don't need ten minutes," Jabal growled, his eyes dark with fury. To have a human stand there and issue him an ultimatum was infuriating and insulting, and the dragon would have none of it. If this human thought the Mountain was so weak that he would crack if threatened with a little water, then he was sorely mistaken. Join their pirate crew? Humans were low creatures, but pirates were scum. The best of them could aspire to be warriors, but all of them were vermin, and all them of preyed on weakness for their own gain. Jabal was nothing of the sort.
The dragon stared indignantly at the scratchy-jawed human, his chin held high. He would not give this human, who saw him as little more than potential muscle, the satisfaction of breaking him. He had felt them dock. He knew that, wherever they were, land was not far away. They throw him overboard, so what? He’d lived through worse than being stuck on an island. Of course if he angered them too much they just wait until they were out in the open ocean to do so, which would be… a mild inconvenience.
“You humans are all the same,” he sneered, his foreign accent coloring his speech. He could feel a fire ignite in his belly. “You coerce with threats and torture. You look to bring down your betters to make yourselves seem taller. You don’t lead your followers with respect, you drive them with fear.” Jabal clenched his fists and rose to his feet. He heaved with righteous indignation. “You are fools to think that I will bow to you. I cannot be won over by a cage, and any who would believe so are not worth my time. If you had any honor, any whatsoever, you would challenge my right to rule.” He thrust a finger in the leader human’s direction. He could feel one of the manacles that bound him pulling at his wrist, but he paid it no mind. “Instead of attacking me like a pack of hyenas looking to make off with a quick meal, you, and only you, would let me out of this cage and challenge me to Almhakm Balqtal! Trial by combat!” Jabal didn’t honestly expect this human to do anything of the sort, but he was angry. He was angry that he had to stand here and listen to this arrogant imbecile act like he was anything more than the insect that he was. The would be no trial by combat. Humans were weak and cowardly, and would never give up their false sense of security if they didn't have to. No, they clung to their power like they clung to their cloaks in a windstorm, as if it was always at risk of blowing away with the slightest gust.
It was disgusting.
“If you’re going to throw me overboard, do so,” the giant man continued, snarling as he spoke. “I can swim.”
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Post by Hugo on Jul 13, 2015 13:40:44 GMT -6
“None of us here have any desire to fight you No Name.” We know better. Hugo spoke calmly.
“You’ve chosen to be tossed overboard.” Hugo wasted no words in trying to reason with the foreigner in the cage. He wasn’t sure what language he had spoken during his little trial by combat speech but it was clear to Hugo, and everyone else in the room that this man was not going to join them. Hugo nodded firmly to the man with the staff. The man with the staff started to concentrate and channel the staff’s magical energies into the man in the cage. With luck the “No Named” giant would soon fall asleep due to the magical properties of the sleep staff. The old warrior put away his axe and whetstone. He got up and started speaking to the other men in low tones.
“Tell the captain about our cargo’s decision. Have him sail us out to deeper waters. Prep a sling.” Hugo muttered. Hugo knew better then to simply toss No Name out into the shallows. Where he could swim to the shore nearby and inconvenience them further. No, Hugo was going to do what they did to every man whom was shanghaied that refused to join their crew.
“With or without da bait in de wattar?” The sailor asked.
“Without. We do not have the resources to be wasting food.” And the pirate he spoke to left to fulfill his orders. A man of no name’s size would prove to be a hassle to simply toss over board. So the boys would prep a sling made of cloth to help ease his unconscious body up onto the deck then throw him over. If they had better resources the boys would entertain themselves by throwing chum in the water to attract sharks and watch the cargo get eaten alive. Some would call it a barbaric and gruesome way to die. To the crew it was their version of watching a man die by lions in the coliseum. Fortunately, for No Name he would be spared that sort of fate. Hugo took his seat back by the table. As a precaution he had his bow and arrow out at the ready, incase if no name tried anything funny out of desperation. Above them the captain could be heard a calling for his crew to begin setting sail.
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Jabal
Dragon
Posts: 67
Affinity: Fire
Dragon Element: Earth
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Post by Jabal on Jul 15, 2015 12:53:14 GMT -6
Consciousness hit Jabal like a brick the very moment his massive body broke the surface of the sea. The bitter burn of seawater flooded his senses as his eyes snapped open, his vision obscured by a swarm of bubbles while his mouth gasped futilely for air. He tried to orient himself, but the sense of vertigo that occurred while waking mid-plummet into the ocean was a very disorienting thing, even for a dragon. He’d been dropped into the water, clearly, but where? Which way was up? Which way was down? Jabal couldn’t see the bottom, no sand or soil, but he could see the sunlight glittering at the surface. Even at this depth light quickly faded into darkness. So he swam towards the light.
The Mountain breached the water like a cresting whale, and after coughing and sputtering out the saltwater his ill-attempts at underwater breathing had taken in, he began sucking in as much air as his aching lungs would allow. He rubbed the remaining water out of his eyes then began frantically looking around until he spotted the back end of a human ship sailing away from him at a steady pace. So they humans really had dropped him overboard? A part of him hadn’t actually expected them to do it.
“Bah!” Jabal scoffed, angrily waving a hand in the pirate ship’s direction. He couldn’t really be surprised. How human it was to go through all the trouble of capturing him off that merchant vessel and locking him in that little cage, only to dump him off the edge of the ship like waste when he didn’t cooperate with their demands. Did they think him so disposable? Probably. Humans thought of everything as disposable.
Of course he was beyond frustrated at this new development, but the dragon ultimately forced himself to calm down from his initial surprise of being dropped of a boat and began looking around for somewhere to go. All he could see was water. Lots of water. These pirates had sailed quite a ways from where they’d originally dropped anchor hadn’t they? Feh, this was no exile. This had clearly been an intended death sentence. It seemed the humans didn’t want the Mountain ever tracking them down. Darkly he chuckled to himself. Wouldn’t it have been easier if they’d just slit his throat while he slept? Seemed like the more human thing to do.
It was then that Jabal spotted a dark column rising into the sky in the distance. Smoke? Hopefully. Where there was smoke there was fire, and where there was fire there was land. The dragon couldn’t see any island, but smoke didn’t come from nowhere. It seemed he had no choice but to swim now. Good thing his taunting hadn’t been an empty boast. So with an annoyed growl the Mountain pushed himself headfirst into the water and began what he expected to be a long, arduous swim.
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Post by Hugo on Jul 17, 2015 10:21:20 GMT -6
When "No Name" dropped to the floor from the effects of the sleep staff the crew waited a few moments before checking to see if he was fully unconscious. After poking with sticks and administering one more spell just to be certain only then did they start pulling No Name from out of the brig. After about ten minutes "No Name" was tossed over side of the ship. The crew opted to remove the shackles off the man since they were going to need it later. There was a splash then the shuffling of the crew as they went about their business. The crew had other things to do rather then sit there and potentially watch a man drown. As amusing as it was to watch any human squirm in the water until they succumbed to the water depths, the crew needed to finish repairs, and gather supplies.
The ship continued on it's way leaving No Name to his fate. They stopped at a nearby port and continued with the repairs. For Hugo he wondered about No Name's fate. Something about No Name did not sit well with the old warrior. He felt as if he had thrown away something expensive. No as if he had thrown away something important. Perhaps he would have felt more comfortable if he had killed No Name before throwing him in the water. But he wasn't sure why he was feeling merciful. Perhaps he was simply tired from the events of the merchant ship and repairs. The old warrior shook his head. He needed to stop dwelling upon the past.
{end thread}
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