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Post by Gar on Apr 28, 2016 9:56:37 GMT -6
The turquoise clad pirate was engulfed in a serious naval battle. Gar’s ship had been ambushed by another group of pirates. It happened quickly. Ropes and boarding planks were attached to the ship before there was time to gather enough people to repel them. Enemies spilled across the deck of Gar’s ship, hollering and swinging their blades around wildly. Gar and his crew were forced to react quickly if they wanted to avoid a slaughter. The sounds of wind and wave were silenced by shouts and scuffles. The shouts were interrupted by the clang of metal on metal.
Gar was engaged with a pirate from the opposing force. His opponent wasn’t a pretty sight, but that was to be expected. The man’s mouth was open in a crooked smile, revealing the few teeth he had left. He was missing an ear as well and a finger on his off hand. The pirate had a long scar across the bridge of his nose. Gar took this information into his fighting style, but quickly rejected it as useless. At sea, brutes like this one were commonplace and Gar had no intention of losing to one. Unfortunately this man was no easy foe. He was fast, sturdy, strong and by the looks of it, adept at fighting at sea. The only reason Gar was still in this fight was because of his own skill in sea combat.
The man approached Gar with a furious axe strike. Gar stepped aside, knocking down an empty barrel in the process. The strike connected with the mast of the ship and embedded itself inside the wood. Gar took the brief opportunity to place his foot inside the barrel he had knocked down and kick it at the invading pirate. The barrel sailed through the air and collided with the man’s forehead. Blood began to seep out of the wound and into the man’s eyes, effectively blinding him. Gar moved quickly to finish the engagement with a strong swipe at the man’s ribcage. The invader slumped to the floor, leaving his axe embedded in the wood.
Gar grabbed the gripped axe with his off hand, placed a foot on the mast and yanked it out of its stuck position. Now armed with two axes Gar crossed the deck toward the captain’s quarters. He avoided a couple engagements, but was eventually met with a new opponent. This one seemed more of a bookworm than a pirate. The robes the foe wore hid their appearance, but they stood atop the stairs Gar needed to ascend. Once the robe clad enemy began to mumble, Gar knew what he had to do.
Gar leapt up the stairs and quickly swiped at the shaman, interrupting his mumbling. The shaman jumped away, placing his back to the guardrail of the ship. Gar enjoyed when people did that. Only rookies placed their back directly against the guardrail in a fight. Gar closed the distance once again and placed the flat of both axes against the shaman’s chest. A solid shove sent the shaman over the rail and into the water below. Gar turned, smirking at the sound of the splash from the sea.
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Post by Gar on Apr 29, 2016 10:09:39 GMT -6
Unknown to Gar, black tendrils rose from the sea below and swiped at the pirate’s back. They left a gash in the back of his shirt but did no damage to the man himself. Unaware of how lucky he got, Gar turned into the captain’s quarters to find two butchered enemy pirates slumped against a wall. The one eyed captain himself stood, catching his breath from the previous engagement. He rose his axe when he noticed another man entering his space, but lowered it as he saw it was Gar.
“Ah Gar. What’s our situation?” Gar bowed his head slightly to acknowledge his superior’s presence. He lifted his eyes before giving his report. “We’re already boarded. One off the port side. We got another on our stern, looks like they’re lining up to ram us. They’re a tough bunch, fighters, pirates and shamans in their ranks.” The captain rolled his neck, allowing it to crack multiple times. He quickly replied with a plan of action. “You lead the crew in a defensive effort. Drive them scallywags back to their wreck of a ship. I’m gonna take the wheel. Try n’ dodge that ram.”
“Aye Aye Cap.” Gar nodded and rushed out the door. He inhaled deeply to prepare to shout to the crew. “Oy, every self-respecting member of the South Bay Pirates is to drive the invaders back to their ship. Band together now and follow my lead, Captain's orders!” Gar's rallying cry was answered with shouts and hollers. Gar ran down the stairs to the main deck, joining the combat below. Mates were assembling at Gar’s side to assist in the melee.
He noted that more crewmates were rising from below decks. With these numbers we should be able to drive these scumbags off our ship. To amp himself up for more combat, Gar banged his axes together a couple times. Gar started walking across the deck, locking eyes with his first opponent, a fighter. Once within range the fighter swung an axe downward aimed at Gar’s chest. Gar parried with his offhand axe, moving it in an arc away from his center. His main hand followed with an upward swing. The fighter disengaged and hopped back to dodge the axe meant for his chin.
The fighter seemed to be enjoying the combat little too much as Gar noticed he was frothing at the mouth. The hell is wrong with these guys? The pirate didn’t have much time to ponder before the fighter charged at him once again. A rage filled axe swung down at Gar’s chest in a similar fashion to their first engagement. Gar dodged instead of parrying this time, allowing the fighter’s momentum to take him past. Gar prepared his axe and buried it into the fighter’s back. The fighter let out a holler and collapsed to the deck. Before Gar could check the state of his enemy, a crewmate dealt the final blow and locked eyes the pirate. Gar nodded and continued toward the enemy’s ship. Another wave of enemies were crossing the boarding plank. Gar patted his chest with the flat of his axe. “Bring It!”
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Post by Gar on Apr 30, 2016 10:13:31 GMT -6
Two enraged enemies moved to engage Gar simultaneously. The pirate was forced back by a combination of dark magic and axe. Gar was quickly joined by a pair of his own mates, who engaged the closer, axe wielding, enemy. Gar moved to close the distance, unfortunately he wasn’t quick enough. A black sphere materialized in the air in front of the pirate. The sphere had a purple hue surrounding and possessed an other-worldly aura. Gar hated dark magic, it was too dangerous and far too disturbing. The pirate dove across the deck to avoid the sphere. The dark magic collided with the deck, crushing and splintering the wood where Gar once stood.
Gar shook his head after witnessing the damage that could have happened to him. Regaining his focus, he engaged the shaman at close range. His first attack was aimed at the shaman’s tome. It connected and effectively rendered the shaman’s magic useless for the remainder of the fight. Gar readied his weapon to deal a blow to the shaman himself. Before he could deliver, the deck moved violently below Gar’s feet. He struggled to maintain his balance while the shaman slid across the deck. The boarding planks were dislodged from the ship. His mission was accomplished but Gar had other concerns. Were we just rammed? What’s the captain doing?
Gar had to see what was going on at the wheel. He placed his axes into the sash on his hip and returned to the captain’s quarters. The room was empty as Gar expected, he then climbed to the navigator’s wheel. There he found his captain, bloody and broken. It didn’t make sense, no one was around. “Captain! Here let me sacrifice for you.” Gar knelt by his captain’s side and prepared to use his skill.
For a moment the sun in the sky turned to black. Gar was confused, but continued to kneel by the captain’s side. The captain raised a strong arm and shoved Gar backward before a black beam fell from the sky, removing the captain’s arm and a portion of his chest. Gar was sitting on his behind, dumbstruck, but still safe. “Captain! What was that?” Gar shouted. The captain was on his last legs but managed to cough up a few words. “Ec.lipse.. order.. surrender..” With that the captain was gone. Gar needed a second to process. Eclipse? They’re bombarding us and we can’t defend ourselves. He was right we have to surrender before..
It was already too late. The day time sky turned to night. Black magic pierced the ship repeatedly. Violent shakes tore the ship apart. Gar, even with his sea legs was shook to the floor. After the bombardment subsided, the pirate rose to his feet to survey the situation. The ship and the crew both decimated. Gar shook his head. More enemies were attempting to board the doomed vessel, to salvage what they could before it sank. Some were crossing the deck toward him. There was no point in defending the wreck, but Gar couldn’t bring himself to surrender.
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Post by Gar on May 1, 2016 10:17:53 GMT -6
Gar did the only thing he could think of; abandon ship. He dislodged a shattered piece of wood and dove off the ship into the water below. As Gar hid underwater, he had more time to process their total defeat. He felt shame, disgrace, weakness, frustration. It was unpleasant but Gar knew he had to remain hidden. He would have no chance if he were to be caught. With that much eclipse magic, there had to be ten maybe fifteen druids in their ranks. I would be slaughtered if they found me.
Gar stayed hidden among the debris of his old ship until the enemy pirates had ransacked and sank the remainder. Gar could hear the cheers and merriment of the pirates as they sailed away. It angered Gar all the more, but he was still powerless. Once they had left eyeshot and earshot Gar screamed at the top of his lungs. “Damn It All!” He had to express his anger in order to think clearly. Now what? I’m alone and can’t tell where I am. I guess I should start swimming. Before Gar could act, a black tendril pierced his left shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to find a familiar shaman swimming in the ocean with him. The same shaman that he had shoved off the deck of the ship early in the battle. “It’s.. you.” Gar found it difficult to talk. The tendril was still lodged in his shoulder, draining his strength. The sensation was similar to sacrifice, but it was theft rather than a gift.
“Nosferatu.” Gar used what strength he could to swing his axe at the tendril, severing it. His strength stopped being drained but he was markedly weaker than he was just a few moments before. He dove below the surface of the ocean. The water was a good place for this combat to occur. Water combat favored the pirate over the shaman, even with his now injured shoulder. Gar swam quickly at the robed enemy, axe in hand. With his injured arm, he reached up and clasped around the shaman’s hood. Pulled underwater, the shaman began to panic. Gar ended it by cutting the shaman down and kicking himself away from the body.
The pirate swam away from the blood tinged water and pulled himself onto a floating piece of debris, a table. He scanned his wounded shoulder and cursed under his breath. I can’t swim with a wound like this. Damn it. I’m fully stranded at sea. Gar did all he could to dress his wound, awkwardly tying his bandanna around it. It needed attention but Gar was at a loss for how to get it. The pirate laid on what used to be a table allowing his clothes to dry in the sun.
Every so often Gar would scan the horizon and hope for a ship to come by and rescue him. None came and Gar eventually had to come to the conclusion he would be alone at sea for quite some time. “This day just couldn’t get any worse.” Gar said to himself, half expecting a storm to materialize.
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Post by Gar on May 2, 2016 10:20:09 GMT -6
Time passed. The sun had set. The air was cold and Gar was still floating alone at sea. There was no end in sight and the pirate still couldn’t believe what was happening. He passed the time by making shapes and stories in the stars. He knew some of the constellations from star charts but he invented some of his own. Unfortunately, that only kept him busy for so long. He had given each star shape a name and moved on to playing with a frayed thread. The pirate rolled on the plank of wood to face downward toward the ocean.
“So bored. Maybe I didn’t have to kill that shaman.” Gar spoke to the ocean. “I bet we could’ve been friends.” The pirate yawned more from boredom than sleepiness. That was enough of a prompt to convince Gar sleep was the best move to make at the time. He closed his eyes and allowed the ocean’s current to rock him to sleep.
The next day, Gar awoke with a sunburn and chapped lips. He had hoped he would wake up in a warm bed with a nice meal. It was wishful thinking, but currently the pirate would settle for some drinkable water and dry land. The pirate looked upward to determine it was around midday. “oops slept in. ha.ha” A weak laugh followed the pirate’s quip.
Sitting up into a crosslegged position, Gar ignored the pain of the sunburn on the back of his arms. There was a sharp pain in his shoulder that was more difficult to ignore. The pirate untied the bandanna around it and winced at what he saw. Puss and black flesh were revealed on the wound. “Damn. What kind of corruption did that shaman hit me with?” Gar didn’t recognize the wound as infected but he decided to wash his bandanna in the ocean anyway.
After cleaning the wound as best he could he tried to come up with ways to get himself out of this situation. He couldn’t think clearly. He was too hungry, too thirsty and the sun was beating down on him, stopping any productive thought. The only conclusion he came to was to wait until sunset to try anything. For the time being, he had to keep himself occupied. He decided he would clean his axes, which took a total of ten minutes as far as Gar could tell. He wished he had some friends around to help pass the time. The pirate spoke to himself again. “What is it that Aeos likes to do? Meditation?” Gar nodded and resolved himself to attempt to meditate.
He placed the back of his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. “Hmmmmm…” Gar attempted to clear his mind. Attempted and failed. All he could think of was food and drink. His stomach rumbled, breaking what little concentration the pirate had. “Ahh it’s no use.” Gar found that meditation simply wasn’t for him. He fell onto his back and closed his eyes. Another day slowly passed.
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Post by Gar on May 3, 2016 10:21:49 GMT -6
His second day stranded at sea Gar had started to panic. Salt had dried to his skin and made his lips more chapped. He parted the lips to speak. He felt them break apart and bleed. “This can’t be happening. I can’t die out here. Not like this. There is still so much I want to do. ” His body was covered in sunburns and he couldn’t lift his left arm due to the infection. He shook his head. The pirate never thought he would die stranded and alone at sea. It was a distinct possibility that no one would ever find his body. It wasn’t a brave death, but a slow, elongated one. The whimper that would punctuate his life was entirely unsatisfying. He clenched his right fist and pounded the table that would serve as his burial mound.
He shouted at the heavens. “You can’t let this happen to me, Damn It!” When answered by silence Gar shouted again, angrier than the first time. “Do you know who I am? I can’t be killed by some twist of fate. I’m going to make it through this and when I do I will find whatever god or spirit forced it upon me. Do you hear me? You will pay!” When answered by silence again, the pirate fell to despair. “Why do I deserve this? I can change. There has to be something I can do.” Gar questioned his past mistakes. Perhaps if he had lived a different life he wouldn’t be doomed to a death of exposure and isolation. The pirate’s mind shifted gears. He stopped trying to atone and decided it was best to allow his despair to engulf him.
“I’ve always been worthless anyway.” He spoke quietly to himself. It was very unlike the pirate to allow sadness to penetrate his overconfident, brusque exterior, but here it was. It was painful to feel such anguish. “I’m too weak and too stupid. It’s probably best that I just died out here. That way I can’t let people down anymore.” Gar may have shed a tear in self-pity if his body would allow him to spare the fluid. It wouldn’t so Gar laid, despondent, on his wreck of a vessel.
Many thoughts passed through the pirate’s mind. He even briefly entertained the idea of calling it quits. Gar shook his head as just the thought brought Gar back to reality. Maybe his life wasn’t over. Maybe he didn’t have to sink into a watery grave. Gar smirked lightly as he reminisced on other near death situations of his life. He always made it out one way or another. Just looking back on his past made the pirate change his tune. Gar was happy with the adventures and voyages of his life. If it all ended in a couple days, Gar could accept that. “It was a short life. But at least it was a fun one.” The pirate closed his eyes and hummed his favorite sea shanty as he drifted in the sea.
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Post by Gar on May 4, 2016 10:23:32 GMT -6
Gar’s world had become water. All he wanted was water, all he needed was water, all he saw was water. It crossed his mind a few times to just drink the sea water, but it had been drilled into him since he was young not to drink it when times get dire. Three days had passed since he was stranded and the pirate could no longer move. Fever had set in from the infection on his shoulder. He would’ve been sweating, but his body couldn’t spare the fluid. He was falling to hallucinations. Shapes were floating through Gar’s vision, but he couldn’t trust them. Their whole existence was a mockery of Gar’s own. The pirate couldn’t care right now, even if he wanted to. The only thing he could want was water.
He couldn’t think of anything besides water, which may have been a blessing. All he would’ve thought of was his death, and how he hadn’t done anything with his life. And how he missed his parents and friends. He would curse the rotten luck he had. He would curse the humans and the spirits. Everything was wrong, this wasn’t supposed to be how his life played out. But he couldn’t do anything about it. He couldn’t talk, move or think.
It was all the pirate could do to feel. Gar did feel. He felt a current shake the plank of wood he laid on. A boat had come alongside him and threw a rope out to the dying pirate. Gar knew that he couldn’t trust this boat. He was certain it was an illusion, a terrible prank his fever was playing on him. If he could muster the energy he would’ve cursed at the fever itself. Two figures grabbed the pirate and carried him up a rope ladder. He could hear voices, but couldn’t trust them either.
The figures placed Gar on a table. A new table. His shoulder hit at an odd angle and he let out a cry of pain. More voices, then a new figure touched the wound again. Gar let out another cry of pain. The bandanna was removed from the wound and the voices became panicked. The pirate was given a drink. Gar tilted his head to the drink. It poured into his mouth, refreshing the dry sailor’s palate. It spread throughout his entire body, reviving that which had been left to die.
Water! It’s Water! Gar drank and drank, not noticing the herbs mixed in. He didn’t care, he had water. He had been saved. He would live. Gar drank as much as he could, he drank until he was coughing up the tea he had been given. Moments later, Gar started to feel drowsy. His head felt heavy. He wanted to drink more water and offer his thanks. But his body had other plans. His vision was fading and he struggled to retain consciousness. He perceived a figure pulling out knives. His body then shut down entirely, too exhausted to fight any longer. Gar passed out on the strange ship.
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Post by Gar on May 5, 2016 10:25:19 GMT -6
Gar awoke in a dim room. His shoulder was incredibly sore and his shirt had been replaced by bandages. They were clearly wrapped by a professional. Gar was drowsy, but aware enough to notice his axes were gone and his hands were bound together with rope. He was lying on a cot and there were medical supplies lining the desk across the room. Must be in a healer’s quarters. He turned his head to find the exit, which he found blocked by a man sitting in a wooden chair. Gar struggled to sit up and face the man. He let out a sigh, as if the act of sitting up cost him all of his energy.
The man looked at Gar and Gar looked back. There was a silence, an intense silence that made Gar uneasy. Tension in the room built to the point where Gar had to say something. “First thing’s first. Thanks for rescuing me. I thought I was done for.” Gar was actually relieved to be able to talk to another human after such a long period of time. The man waited a moment before replying in a gruff voice.
“Don’t thank me. Our doc be the one who saved ye.” Gar nodded, making a note to thank the doctor if they ever returned. The man stood up and crossed the room, stopping in front of Gar. He had menacing look in his eyes. “Who are ye?” The interrogation had begun. Gar knew it would be coming soon but he hoped he could build some rapport before it started. “I’m Gar.” The pirate answered simply, he had to be careful with what he told this man. Any incorrect answers could be the death of him.
“What ‘appened to ye ship, Gar?” Gar spoke carefully once again answering the man’s question. “We were attacked, defeated. I had to abandon ship.” The man was staring at Gar’s eyes as if he could see the truth in them. “What were you doin out in these waters?” This was a tricky one to answer. Gar couldn’t reveal himself to be a pirate it was too risky. “Making a delivery.”
“Liar! Only pirates come to these parts. Ye be a pirate.” Gar had been caught in a lie and owned up to it with a nod. He reciprocated the logic on his interrogator. “Aye, but by that thinking you’re a pirate as well.” The man grunted and began pacing in front of Gar’s cot. Gar shifted uncomfortably. His wrists were beginning to itch and his wounded shoulder was still in pain. The asked another question. “Ye got any ill will toward us?”
Gar shook his head. “Of course not. I aint the type of guy who would raise arms against my saviors. Trust me I’m harmless.” The interrogator jumped at the statement. “Liar! Ye sure had a lot of blood on ye shirt for someone who’s harmless. Be careful. One more lie and yer dead.” Gar swallowed, just now grasping how dangerous this man truly was.
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Post by Gar on May 6, 2016 10:26:21 GMT -6
“What can ye do for us?” Gar took a moment before he answered. He was making sure his answer was truthful. “With my bad shoulder, I can’t do any lifting or rigging for you. But I am sure I can still swab the decks and clean the quarters.” Gar was ashamed that he had to say it, but it was true. Right now the only thing he could do to help was probably swab the decks like he did when he was a child. The man cracked a smile at Gar. Eventually he took to laughing in Gar’s face.
“Ha.Ha.Ha. Yer gonna be a great scrub. Aint ya?” Gar nodded, simply to get the man out of his face. The interrogator turned and left the room laughing all the while. Gar sighed and fell back onto his cot. Pain shot through his shoulder again. What a scumbag. The pirate was upset, but at least he left the engagement with his life. The door opened again Gar didn’t sit up this time. He just hoped it wasn’t the interrogator returning with more questions.
“I hear you’re awake. How are you feeling?” A friendly woman’s voice asked the pirate. Gar was immediately flustered. He wasn’t expecting kindness nor a woman to be on the ship. Both at the same time gave the pirate a shock. “I. Um I’m cool. How are you today?” The woman smiled at Gar. “I’m cool as well. But I wasn’t picked out of the water yesterday.” Gar blushed at how dumb his question made him sound. He shook the embarrassment off to speak again. “You must be the doctor. Thanks for saving me.”
“No problem. It’s my job and between you and me I’ve always had a soft spot for adventurers who have come across hard times.” The doctor smiled at Gar once again and once again Gar was flustered. What in the world? Does she have eyes for me? Gar eventually gathered enough composure to reply. He spoke attempting to sound more masculine than he was. “Times weren’t that hard. I’m sure I could’ve handled it on my own.” The doctor rolled her eyes at the pirate. She walked over and quickly gave Gar’s shoulder a pat.
Pain engulfed the left side of Gar’s body. He was writhing in pain on the cot. The motion was only made more awkward by his bound hands. Once the pain subsided Gar was able to speak again. “What was that for?”
“Just making sure I hadn’t misdiagnosed you. You may have a head injury too. With a shoulder wound like that, no one could have handled being stranded out at sea.” The doctor replied with a smile. It was a smile that Gar couldn’t stay mad at. The doctor moved and grabbed a staff. With a few mumbled words, the staff head began to glow and Gar felt energy flow into his wound. It was refreshing, but the soreness didn’t subside entirely. The doctor regained her breath after healing the pirate.
“Your infection was pretty bad. It might take a few days for me to heal it completely. For now get some rest. I’ll have you feeling better than ever soon enough.” With a wink the doctor left Gar alone in the room.
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Post by Gar on May 7, 2016 12:51:45 GMT -6
Gar relaxed on the cot. He wore a grin that wouldn’t go away. The pirate was infatuated with the doctor that had saved his life. That woman sure is something. His mind began to wander only to be interrupted by another new face entering the room. This one was quite the opposite of the doctor. A humongous, burly man stepped into the room. Bigger than any man Gar had seen before. Except Jabal. He’s more of a mountain though. Even so, the man was imposing. He wore the kind of coat and hat only captains were seen wearing. There was no shirt to hide his hairy chest. With an eyepatch, a hook for a hand and scars along his body, the man was clearly no stranger to combat. Gar did not want to trifle with this man.
“You will not make any trouble for me and my crew.” It wasn’t a request or an order. It was just a fact. Gar had to comply. “I will not.” The captain of the new ship looked Gar over a couple of times in a similar fashion to the interrogator. Gar laid in the cot and waited for the captain to remove his eyes from his body.
“You will obey every order I give.” Again, Gar had every intention to comply. He smirked as he was familiar with such an arrangement. “Aye orders are orders after all.” The captain nodded. His presence was remarkable. He was the embodiment of piracy placed into one body and that body was bursting at the seams with it. Gar half expected a parrot to fly into the room and land on the man’s shoulder, chirping for a cracker. Gar almost spoke to compliment the man’s style but before he could speak the captain roared another fact of his ship.
“You will not touch my daughter.” This law was different from the previous two. “Daughter?” Gar didn’t know the man had a daughter. He assumed if the daughter looked anything like the father he wouldn’t have a problem with that law. “The doctor. The one who saved your hide.” Gar looked away. Of course. Of course she is this brute’s daughter. And here I thought my luck was turning around. When Gar didn’t immediately respond to this law the captain walked right up to Gar’s cot and leaned over him. The man was even bigger up close. He was maybe a half an inch away from the pirate’s face when he repeated himself.
“You will not touch my daughter.” Gar responded correctly this time. “I will not. I can’t do much with my hands bound anyway.” Gar joked, much to the captain’s displeasure. Gar laughed nervously and quickly backtracked. “Just joking. I absolutely will not touch your daughter. I give you my word.” The captain removed his face from Gar’s personal space and left with a grunt. Gar was alone in the room once again. This time no one entered and Gar was alone with his thoughts. He decided it would be best to close his eyes and get some rest.
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Post by Gar on May 8, 2016 12:52:43 GMT -6
Gar had dozed off, apparently his body needed more rest to recover from his ordeal at sea. He was awoken by the healer with a friendly voice. She brought a plate of food for the pirate. “Eat up. You need food if you’re going to heal properly.” Gar was grateful, he sat up and thanked his doctor. He attempted to handle a utensil but it was difficult to do so with his hands bound. He turned to his doctor for assistance.
“You really are helpless aren’t you?” The woman said. She sat next to Gar and began to feed the pirate. The proud pirate had been reduced to a child in front of the doctor. It was shameful but Gar found a strange pleasure in the affection she showed him. “So how is it?” The food was delicious, but that was what concerned the pirate. Food on a ship should never be this good. That goes double for a pirate ship.
“It’s great but…” Gar began. He paused because he didn’t quite know how to word the question he had in mind. “But what? I made it myself so don’t be too critical now.” Once again the pirate found himself enamored with the woman. He had to backtrack to make sure he didn’t offend. “The food is delicious. I was just wondering how you had access to such delicious food at sea.”
“Ahh, well the fish is fresh, caught it myself, and I usually have some curry powder and rice in my personal stores.” Gar nodded, accepting the answer as suitable. The woman stood up to leave. “I have some work to do. Hopefully you can manage on your own for some time.” Again the pirate nodded and the woman left the room.
Gar did manage to eat. He cleaned the plate and let out a healthy belch to top it off. I need to get this straight. A woman saves my life, is clearly interested in me, knows how to cook and is comfortable at sea? Any one of those things is reason enough for me to make a move. But I can’t because her old man is the captain of the ship. Gar sighed.
“Oh well, Well probably reach port soon and they should set me free. I’ll just have to forget about …” It dawned on the pirate that he hadn’t learned the woman’s name yet. He wasn’t even sure if he had introduced himself. He told himself he would do so during their next encounter.
He did exactly that the next day during his healing session. Her name was Sapphire. Gar introduced himself, and the two exchanged tales of their travels. Events continued in this fashion for a couple of days until they reached port. Gar was finally led outside where he inhaled the salty air. It was refreshing and the pirate could be free again, to live his own life. No longer would he be stranded at sea, nor confined to a small room where all he wanted was perpetually out of his grasp. Yes, Now I can restart my live of adventure and …
Gar lost his train of thought as he saw something horrifying.
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Post by Gar on May 9, 2016 14:55:47 GMT -6
A line of people, with their hands bound much like Gar’s, were being led off the ship. They were frail, weak and they shied away from the light of the sun. “What the?” One after another they emerged from the ship’s cargo hold. Gar was disgusted. These aren’t pirates. They’re slavers. Dirty, rotten scumbags! Gar felt sick to his stomach just seeing what was happening before his eyes. His glare fell upon the captain who was making deal with a man on the docks. He walked over to the edge of the ship to give the large man a piece of his mind.
“Who do you think you are?” Gar shouted to the captain. “These are people! With hopes and dreams, you can’t just sell them like simple wares!” The captain looked up at Gar and offered an obscene gesture in his direction. The man he was dealing with leaned in and whispered to the captain. Gar couldn’t hear what was said but the smile it put on the captain’s face was worrisome. The slave trader gave the captain a sack of what Gar assumed to be coin and the captain walked up the gangplank, making a beeline for Gar.
Gar stood tall in front of the large, one handed man. The man’s booming voice spoke. “You made a mistake.” A haymaker connected with Gar’s jaw, dazing the pirate. He felt his body get slumped over the large man’s shoulder. As the pirate struggled to maintain consciousness, he heard a patter of footsteps running toward him.
“What are you doing? You said you would let him be in your crew once he was healthy. Daddy! Don’t!" Sapphire’s pleas fell on deaf ears. She turned to Gar who was hardly able to lift his chin up to face the woman. He noted that the woman had tears in her eyes and it made Gar upset. “I’ll get you out Gar. I promise I will. I’m so sorry.” The pirate lost consciousness as he was tossed into the back of a wagon amongst the slaves.
Gar came to in the back of a covered wagon that smelled like garbage. He reached with both hands to rub his jaw. It was swollen and Gar could only imagine how ridiculous it looked. He scanned the company he was in. There were plenty of bodies in the wagon, but none had a soul. Or so it seemed to the pirate. Some of the people had their eyes closed, the ones who had them open, Gar couldn’t see any hint of life within them. He may as well had been in a wagon of corpses.
The pirate sat at the back of the wagon, by the exit, which was blocked by a curtain. Gar reached to open it with his bound hands. As soon as one hand exited the wagon, Gar heard a crack and a sharp pain applied itself to his hand. Gar retracted the limb by instinct and examined the damage. His hand was bleeding. It appears they don’t want us to see where were going.
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Post by Gar on May 10, 2016 14:58:19 GMT -6
Time passed and the wagon came to a halt. Blood had pooled in a puddle by Gar’s feet. The pirate’s countenance was grim. There was shouting outside, a conversation about having a new batch. Gar clenched his teeth with rage. The only thing keeping him from rebelling against his captors was the metal in his lap that chained him to the bench he sat on. The wagon’s curtain was drawn aside, allowing blinding light to attack Gar’s eyes. The pirate squinted at the face of his enemy. The man bent by Gar’s side, unchaining him from the bench. Gar wanted nothing more than to headbutt the man and break his nose. Luckily, Gar was aware enough to know how that would play out.
The pirate was yanked out of the wagon by the bindings on his arms. The scene had been revealed to him. Again, it was a terrible sight. A ring of benches, three rows deep encircled a stage. On the stage stood an auctioneer alongside the wares, people. Gar was ushered into a line of other slaves. All he could do in this situation was wait for his turn, and remember the faces in the crowd. Gar’s turn arrived, his eyes were daggers glaring at the crowd.
The auctioneer began speaking, Gar didn’t need to listen to know what he was saying. The pirate was preoccupied with memorizing the faces of the people who would bid on him as if he were a simple painting. Hands rose, obstructing Gar’s view, but he continued scanning. The bidding came down to three people, the faces Gar swore not to forget. One: gray beard, scarred nose and one eye is also gray, probably corrupted somehow. Two: Nose ring like a bull, black hair and short. Three… The third was an annoyance. The figure hid their face behind a hood and a high scarf. Gar figured it was some type of embarrassment that made the figure hide their identity.
The bidding was finished, bullring won out for a price that Gar didn’t care to know. As Gar exited the stage a scuffle broke out in the crowd. He could hear curses and fists colliding with flesh. Gar didn’t even turn his head. With any luck they’ll all kill each other. The pirate was placed in another wagon and was subjected to another dark ride. This one ended at a fortress in the mountains.
The air was cold, Gar could see his breath. The fort had a good view of the ocean, most likely so it could help defend against ocean invaders. The pirate was led into the fort and placed in a cell. Only after he was inside were his hands freed from their bindings. Gar rubbed his wrists and saw the cell was occupied by two others. A middle aged man, with weathered skin and a man around Gar’s age, who was asleep on the rocks that lined the floor of the cell. Gar looked around the cell that he was confined to. He saw nothing aside from a bucket. He could guess what that was for. The middle aged man raised his head lightly to look at the pirate. “Welcome to hell, boy.”
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Post by Gar on May 11, 2016 15:17:26 GMT -6
Gar knew the conditions were going to be awful, but hell? That seemed overdramatic. The accuracy of the man’s statement wasn’t really too important to the pirate for in his mind he wasn’t going to be here very long. The pirate was already plotting his escape, but he would need help. The pirate checked his shoulder to see if any guards were nearby, then he got right down to business. “How well do you know this fort?” The middle aged man knew what Gar was up to he had seen it before.
The old man reached down and removed his boot. Gar saw a stump of a foot at the end of the man’s leg. Gar grunted, he knew what it meant but the man decided to explain anyway. “If you try to escape, you lose a foot. You get to choose which one. It’s not a fun choice.” Gar was undeterred. “Then I’ll get a peg-leg. I would rather be free without a foot than an able bodied slave.” The man remained in silence for a while. Gar was already impatient, the situation was bringing out his rudeness. “Do you know anything or don’t you?”
“Find someone else to waste your dreams with. We’re stuck here. ‘Til the day we die.” Gar was annoyed by the man’s resignation to captivity. Gar told himself he would not end up like this man. The pirate grunted again. “Coward. You may as well be dead alre-”
“Shut up. Go to sleep.” The other occupant said before rolling over and going back to sleep. Gar walked over to the wall opposite the cell bars. He took off the shirt he was given to cover his chest and balled it up. Laying down, he placed it under his head. The rocks were cold on Gar’s bare skin. The pirate attempted to ignore his circumstances and get some rest. The effort was futile, he was too angry to sleep. He found a small, jagged pebble in the cell. It would have no use in combat, but Gar had other plans for it.
He pressed the rock against the wall and began to move it up and down. After a few strokes a line formed in the wall. One. Gar placed the rock on the ground and again, he attempted to sleep. He only slept for what felt like an hour and a half. Guards had begun banging on the cell bars with the scabbards of their swords. It was not a pleasant way to wake up. The two other prisoners disrobed and stepped up to the bars, Gar followed suit. He wasn’t trying to look at the other men’s waists, but he noticed they had matching symbols on their hips. It was the face of a bull, complete with nosering and horns, scarred into the skin of the prisoners. Brands.
Water was thrown on the prisoners from the outside of the cell. The other inmates immediately began using the water to clean themselves. Gar was cold, almost frozen, he could do nothing but shiver. The prisoner that was Gar’s age spoke. “Clean yourself. I don’t want you stinking up my cell.” Gar did as best as he could with the cold water that was dripping from his body. After putting his clothes back on, guards approached the cell door. Gar wanted to beat the guard to a pulp, but again he had to remain calm.
The door opened and he was led outside.
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Post by Gar on May 12, 2016 15:19:23 GMT -6
The slaves were led to a work site, a mine shaft. Gar simply shook his head at the sight. Men were being worked within an inch of their lives, only to be worked harder. The pirate saw an elderly man being beaten for slacking. It was a terrible visual, Gar couldn’t stop the beating but he knew he could help after it was finished. The guards eventually stopped, leaving the man battered and broken on the ground. Gar jogged over to the man and knelt at his side. He heard other guards yelling at him, but ignored them. Alright old guy stay with us. Gar placed his hands on the man’s chest and allowed his life energy to flow into the man.
The bruises and cuts began to fade from the man’s body. Gar, however began feeling dizzy and lightheaded. He placed his hands on the ground to steady himself. “You should be okay now old man.” The old man didn’t appear thankful, but horrified by Gar’s actions. “You fool.” A crack broke the air as a whip crashed on Gar’s back, sending him face first into the dirt. The pain was incomparable, so unlike a cut or a stab from a weapon. This was designed to hurt, not maim. Another crack and another dose of stinging pain. In Gar’s weakened state from using Sacrifice, he couldn’t rise to defend himself. A few more cracks left Gar breathless in the dirt. He could feel blood running from the wounds on his back.
Again, Gar was powerless, it was reminiscent of his time stranded at sea. “Stand up.” A man ordered. Gar slowly raised himself to his hands and knees, struggling to ignore his wounds. A sharp kick to the ribs knocked Gar flat again. The pirate was coughing and sputtering in the dirt, trying to regain the wind that hand been knocked from his lungs. “I said stand up. You have work to do.” Again Gar tried to rise, the guard pushed Gar onto his back and again he kicked. This time the kicking didn’t stop. Dirt was mixing into the wounds on Gar’s back, stinging him all over again. The torment only stopped after another guard called out to this one. Gar was left wheezing in the dirt. Defiant eyes tracked the guard as he walked away. “Ya might want to see our healer about those wounds hahaha” The man said as he exited.
Gar eventually caught his breath and managed to crawl toward the old man. “Poor child. You aren’t very smart are you?” With the way Gar felt he couldn’t very well argue with the old man. The pirate managed to cough up a few words. “Where’s... the healer?”
“You aren’t very smart are you? There is no healer my child.” Gar grimaced and spat in the dirt. He harnessed all the strength in his body and managed to stand. He took a deep breath, as deep as he could before the pain in his ribs stopped him. His legs were trembling underneath his own weight.
“Hey you! Your shift begins now. Head down into the mines”.
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