The Past is Gone. Fight for the Present

[MischiefNotManaged]

Suffocating. That was all she could think. See. Feel. Taste. There was nothing in the cell they had locked her in. No light. No sound. No fresh air from what drifted through the door when they came to shove water down her throat. A choked gasp left her lungs, chains rattling as she shifted to gain precious air. She was cold... numb. Would she die here? Alone. Her family gone. Her friends abandoned.  She didn't remember much. Forest, grasslands, mountains.... it all blurred untill she could only remember the darkness. The air that choked her when it rushed in through the bottom of the door. The rock and sway of the ground and wall she was chained to.

Orange hues, so similar to the setting sun, blinked open as footsteps echoed. They stared half mast into the Obsidian air. Had they come again to try and keep her alive? Moans drifted through the walls. Haunting, melancholy.  They were not pleasured. They were not painful. But yet it send chills down her spine.

The door creaked open with a resounding squeal of rusted metal. Light, dim, but yet burning to her eyes,  seeped into the room. Leather clad boots rewarded her vision and she grew confounded. Those were not the shoes of her captors. They were not covered in the fru-fru of nobility, wealth from blood stained gold.
A hand, so gentle she might have imagined it placed itself on her wrist. A cloth wrapped itself around her eyes, the light gone as darkness greeted her once more.

"Hold tight"

She did not fight the hands that were cool around her wrists. She did not scream when her arms erupted into agony at being released from their prolonged position upright. She could not, however, hold back the shiver as she was lifted as easy as a new born babe. She could not hold back the whimper as everything turned to pins and needles.  There was no heartbeat under her head, a fact that had her pausing in sudden thought.  'Am I dreaming..... have I finally begun to die...'

But the arms that carried her was into a constant breeze. Warm on her goose bump covered skin. It smelt of fresh ocean air. Laughter, jeers, cries of victory. The scent of blood, salt, sweat, bodily fluids. It all crashed into her senses at once.

"Who.." She gasped out, trying desperately to stake a claim on conscious awareness as her body revolted.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

There was a certain sweetness in victory that couldn't be found anywhere else. A joy in seeing bodies strewn about the deck of an unfamiliar ship, of the celebration and energy charged through the other members of the crew. Giving those who were dead a rush, a sense of being alive, while heightening the adrenaline pulse for those who still were.

Vailea could live ten thousand more years and never tire of victory. Who would?

She sat in a throne of collected goods, gathered from the animated, broken bodies of former crew. The ship was mostly a slave-trade vessel. It dealt in flesh, which happened to be something the lich had a keen interest in. That and a few choice members of her crew had already claimed what they wanted. Toys, projects, pets. Whatever they wanted, Vailea didn't care.

Mortal souls were as much ill-gotten gains as the boxes of trade-goods she sat on.

Three bodies from the ship bowels were brought to her. Weakened and likely tucked away from sun. Vailea studied the three, chewing on a sweet cigar from a far away land. They were surrounded by crew, alive and dead, who were still celebrating.

"It's your lucky day. One of you get to walk of this ship alive." The implication being the other two wouldn't. She flashed a smile and pulled the cigar from her mouth. "So, tell me about yourself. Sell it to me. Your life depends on it."

Literally.

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

The blindfold that was wrapped around her eyes was suddenly constricting. Her body, still numb to the sudden rush of sensation burned all too quickly. It seemed her salvation was just another master. Another slaver ready to kill her when their pleasure ran flat. The other two with her were already rambling. Spilling everything about themselves they could. Cook, clean, pleasure, kill, steal. It was what they were forced to do.. and if they didnt...

    Nera winced as memories flooded into her skull. She had refused, and she had paid the price for far too long. She wondered if death would have been kinder. The copper toned female took a deep breath in. The salt of the air tasted on her tongue. The breeze bringing something new to the stagnant air of the hold. From underneath the blindfold amber hues closed.

"I will kill when needed. I am a half breed. Born from a warrior and peacemaker. I know daggers, spears. I know animals and my way around them. Their tracks, their habits. I have fought to survive and I will fight to continue living." She stated. She may have signed her death warrant with this strange woman. Her voice told as much that she saw this as amusement. But she's rather die a spirited slave. Than die a broken, living, woman.
@SanctifiedSavage

@

[SanctifiedSavage]

For Vailea, she didn't particularly have a preference. One slave was as good as the next. Someone for her to whittle the hours away with until their next haul. Her sea green gaze moved from one, to the next, to the next. Never really lingering on anyone long enough for it to seem like she was interested.

In the end, it was two of her crew that decided it for her. They wanted the others for whatever reason and she hand waved her approval. The two could join the ranks of the undead in whatever capacity. Which left a girl for Vailea. She slid off her throne of loot and circled the girl like a butcher would a new cow. "Looks like you're stuck with me. What's your name?"

Slaves usually needed a bit of care before they resembled something alive. Some food, some sun, and she'd likely clean up nicely. Be something Vailea would enjoy looking at. Right now, there was potential. Promise. "You can call me Vailea." No titles needed. Not yet, anyway.

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

She had heard the woman slide off what sounded like coin, gold. Footsteps echoing around her form with purpose as the other slaves were dragged off. Nera inhaled softly, eyes closed behind her blind fold and resisting the urge to collapse right then and there. She was tired, adrenaline wearing off with a crash and the state of her body began to make itself known.

"Nera Phellier" She croaked. Voice cracking as she struggled to keep awake. She was still cold, but the sun, if the light through the black fabric spoke true, was so warm. It called to her in a way she hadn't felt in years.

There was a shift in movement and out of instinct Nera stilled. Fear, however unwelcome it may have been, rushed through her body before the woman's presence halted. The copper toned female shivered, scenarios running through her mind of what this meant now. She still couldn't see except for the light through her blind fold. The pain of her body finally being free to move after months settling in with a sharp, numbing, heat.  She wanted nothing more to sleep, to drink, to eat. But until this woman made her move she could not ask for anything.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea pulled off the blindfold, tossing it aside like so much debris. The actual slave ship would be scuttled and left for pickings by anyone who might come across it. She gave her newfound friend a moment to orientate herself, to see the motley collection of undead and living, flesh rotting and not, before she snaps her fingers and turns to make her way back to the Red Jewel.

Two skeletons, bones gleaming clean and white, move from behind Nera and scoop her up. Strong despite their utter lack of muscle. Held together by Vailea's necromantic magic.

It was like picking up a new pet. Find one you like, something with promise, and then she had to scrub it clean, feed it, and nurture it before she could play with it. Which was all well and good. Vailea had nothing but time.

The Red Jewel was neater than the slave ship and larger. The sails overhead flapped lazily in the afternoon sun as they crossed the darkwood deck. Vailea led them below, to a section walled off with iron bars. It certainly looked like a cage, and could function like one when necessary. For now, though, there was a tub of water that Nera was dropped in. Vailea tossed her a handful of hard soap. "Can't have you stinking up my cabin."

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

      The sudden shock of sunlight was blinding to her eyes. Ones that hadn't seen more than a ray in so long. It was enough of a distraction, as hard bones picked her up like she was nothing. Amber hues flicked around wildly as they soon came into focus. Taking in the decaying, or not, bodies of crew members. The bones of the skeletons that held her like a cat would their kitten.

She had barely anytime to think as she was taken off the old slaving ship. Her eyes focusing on the clean, freshly oiled and sealed planks of what would no doubt be her new 'home'. Crew members passed them by with little regard, flesh rotting or not; and Nera had to focus on breathing to prevent the shudders from escaping.

The sight of the iron bars had her panicking. Memories of being shoved in with countless others into a cell. Packed like sardines. It was the splash of cold water that had her letting out a startled, silent gasp. The handful of hard soap landed int he tub with a soft 'plunk', the ivory substance floating to the surface with a gentle scent of herbs.

    Wasting no time Nera stripped. The ripped, torn garments that barely functioned as clothing tossed to the side. She turned her back on the woman, shaking hands grabbing the soap to scrub viciously at her skin. She knew Vailea was still in the room, the clatter of bones echoing as they followed behind their mistress signaled as such. But the slave could hardly care as filth poured off her skin. The once clear water was already turning murky grey, and Nera dunked her head under the water to scrub at her hair before the tub water was to far gone to be considered useful.

            It was a small blessing to have been gifted with a bath, however harsh it was, and once the young woman had finally rid herself of dirty soap she curled into her arms.

"May I have some clothes" She pondered. She knew full well the scraps of cloth the slavers had her wearing from before were nothing but that. Scraps. They would do nothing to help her, especially not soaking wet and reeking of the filth she had finally rid herself of.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea watched the bath with all the interest of watching water boil. It was a necessary thing, for the very reason she'd said. The lich didn't like stinky bodies in her personal space. Scrubbing off the filth of the other ship was just the start of it, but it was a good start. The girl seemed obedient and responsive.

Good, good.

The captain leaned against the bars and chewed on one of her favorite cigars while she waited. Skeletons motionlessly flanked her, mindlessly waiting for the next command. Just incase the girl got uppity. Vailea wasn't in the mood to deal with it herself.

When the bath seemed done, the lich chuckled around the cigar. "Yeah, I have something for you to wear. Come along." Obviously there were no clothes there. They were in Vailea's cabin. Which meant the girl would need to tail her, naked, across the deck of the ship and toward the back – where the captain's cabin was located. Parading around a new pet was something Vailea quite enjoyed. It said a lot about a person, how they handled such an act. Whether she was going to come obediently, and quietly, or whether the skeletons would have to drag her kicking and screaming.

It didn't matter either way, she was brought to Vailea's cabin. It was spacious, with a desk, a large four poster bed, and shelves full of parchment, books, and trinkets. All locked behind glass and wood doors to keep them in place. The lich collected nice things and it reflected in her cabin. Plush carpets covered the floors, vibrant tapestries decorated any of the available wall space, and all the furniture was ornate, polished wood. There was a large cage in the far corner, with bars set into the floor so it wouldn't scoot around when the ship moved. Inside the cage was a 'nest' of blankets and pillows, all equally nice.

Vailea made her way to one of her storage chests, fished around a moment, then tossed clothes to her new pet. A corset dress and skirts that would barely reach midthigh.

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

      It was a relief that she would have new clothes. Something she could maybe claim as her own. Something that was dry, warm, gave her a sense of humanity that she knew was missing from her life. But things were never that easy for her it would seem, as Vailea led her out of the bathing room. Nera paused, the skeletons behind her drudging at their own pace as she realized exactly what her new lowner was going to have her do. It was no different than the so called lessons her previous slavers had enacted upon the others to make them listen. But still, it surged the despair she had already felt, the anger, hopelessness.

    There was a rattle of bones behind her, and with a hitched breath Nera followed. She kept her head bowed low, copper locks glistening from the dripping water. She could hear the moans, the movements of the woman's crew as they trod around their work. Amber hues glanced out from under her curtain of hair as she hugged her body. Arms wrapped tight around her form and she took in the sight of the undead. They were stacking crates, bags, boxes of the things they had pillages. Some still looked remarkably human.... others... they were nothing but bone, some of muscle, sinew and skin. The slave shuddered, casting her eyes back on the ground and quickening her steps as they entered what must have been the Captains room.

It was well furnished. That much she could take it. Gold, silver, bronze, gems of all shapes and sizes. Rich carpets, ornate mirrors, tapestries with stories, inscriptions, detailed pictures. It took her attention as she gazed around. But the large cage in the corner is what drew her attention the most.  It was larger than what her previous cage was, but the mere sight of it even with blankets and pillows, caused her to curl further in on herself. It wasn't until the clothing items in question were thrown at her head that she reacted.

Nera slid them on quickly. It was relief at the fact they covered everything. Relief that they were whole, and free of the stench of human liquids. There was the part of her, the part of her that still held her pride, that hated how short the skirt was. But at that moment she was far too tired. In far to much pain, exhausted physically and emotionally to even care. The female struggled with the corset, finally tying it in a somewhat correct manner as she glanced upward at the other woman.

She didn't know what she was supposed to do. Would she get hit for speaking again? Would she be tossed back in chains? She didn't know, and the safest thing for her at that moment seemed to be to try and make herself smaller. Worthwhile. How she would do that to this woman.. she didn't know.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea leaned back against her large desk and idly watched the girl dress. Skittering out from under her bed was the decaying form of a scaled lizard in a myriad of colors. It climbed up Vailea's leg and torso, then settled on her shoulder. One eye was missing and two legs were nothing but skeleton, but the creature was otherwise intact. A long tail hung down, helping it balance.

When her new pet was done dressing, Vailea cleared her throat to draw attention then started to speak. "This here is going to be your new baby sitter. He's highly venomous, even now, so try not to anger him by leaving the room when or pulling things off the shelf when I'm not in here." The lich lightly scratched the jaw of the lizard, it's wedge shaped head leaning into the affectionate caress. "Beyond that, your bed is in the cage. I don't see a reason to shut the door unless you give me one. You also look tired... So, feel free. There's still more I need to do..."

The captain pushed off from the desk as her baby sitter jumped off her shoulder. The lizard wasn't even knee high as it crossed to the cage, partially climbing up the bars. Quicker than most people could run. "Now, be a good girl and get some rest. We'll chat some when you don't like you're going to fall over."

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

      The lizard was... frightening, concerning. She watched it scamper up the bars of the cage until Vaileas words registered in her head. Deep Amber hues widened, flicking from the cage to the woman and back. She knew she needed to obey. Knew she needed to gain some semblance of trust until she could escape, or better, buy her freedom.

Nera inhaled on a stuttered gasp, her foot taking a step back before she saw the reptilian warden hiss and flare out. The woman shivered, taking a deep breath even as everything began to swim together. She knew she was panicking. A mistake that could cost her her life, but at that moment all she could focus on was forcing herself into the cage. The prison that had been her life for the past five years. Bare feet hit soft blankets and she tripped, barely stopping her fall as her body, as exhausted as it was, hit blanket and pillows.

       It was soft, she realized dimly, far softer than she had imagined it would be. It was a texture she hadn't felt in ages... it was a comfort she had forgotten about. Thin arms wrapped around herself, her shivers slowly dying as the warmth of her 'bed' lulled her into sleep. It was only a small comfort that the door wasn't shut. That she had a pillow to rest her head on, to hide her tears into as everything crashed.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

The lizard warden remained motionless on the cage so long as Nera remained within. It didn't need to breathe, nor do any other movements to indicate it was alive, so it didn't. Just kept its vigil.

Vailea, amused, watched as her new pet stumbled in the cage before she pushed away from her desk and left her cabin. There was a heading to make, a crew to check on, and it was only as the sun dipped below the horizon and mage lights lit up the ship, did she return to her now dark cabin.

Vailea couldn't see in the dark, but she knew her space. Her steps were heavy as she went to a shelf, struck up a tindertwig, and lit a couple oil lamps. The flickering flame threw shadows across the floor and walls. With a heavy sigh, the captain claimed a seat and propped her boots up on the desk. Sleep was unnecessary for the dead captain, but she liked to relax now and then. A sort of 'shut down', if nothing else. She nursed an unlit cigar and idled in the quiet interior for some time until her pet woke on her own.

She'd not seen the need to rouse the girl. But when she was awake, Vailea shifted in the dark and said, "You have a name, yes? Nera was it?" Drawing attention to herself, in the event the girl hadn't been aware the captain was there at all. "How'd you end up on that ship?"

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

It was the first time in a very long time she slept without nightmares. It was the first time in a long time that she had woken comfortably in warmth. Woke to soft fabric caressing her skin instead of iron shackles and rough cloth of a slave gown.  Sleep glazed hues opened, taking stock of the now far too familiar darkness before her. There was a shift, a sudden, dim light.

      Nera flinched, scrambling backwards before she realized who it was. The slave slumped, the blanket falling around her waist as her arms fell from their defensive position. She heard the woman speak, her questions registering with confusion. She wasn't surprised in the way the woman wanted to know about what she deamed as 'hers'. But she was surprised that the woman wanted to know how she became a slave, that she would use her actual name.

"Y-yes... Nera...." She paused then, biting her lip as she tried to recount the memories she so oft wanted to bury.

"I.. Slavers came into our village. Slaughtered those they deemed unworthy. Babe, child, old, young.. didn't matter. Half of us were taken on a trek to the slave ship across the mountains. Less than half of us survived still at the pace they set. Those of us that lived were shoved onto the ship. I've been there since." She stated. Voice monotone, and cracked with sleep.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

In the dim light of the cabin, Vailea struck another tindertwig to light her cigar. She considered the girl's story. It'd been so long since the lich had actually set foot on the main land... Vailea could speak just about any language she'd thus far come into contact with, but that didn't mean she knew the political land scape. If there were wars going on, who was in power. What a slave might be worth. None of it particularly mattered to her, of course. She lived a pirates life and answered to no one.

After a deep exhale, the lazy blue smoke hovering around the ceiling, she asked, "Where would you go, if you could?" It was a question of curiosity. That was pretty much what motivated Vailea to do anything. An almost childish desire to know. Anything and everything. Sometimes at the expense of others.

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

"Where would you go if you could?"


The question gave Nera pause. Amber eyes turned towards the woman, reading, searching. For anything that might give way to something sinister. The harder she searched though the less she found anything of worth. It was an actual honest question, and that in and of itself caused her to think. Should she give her answer? Would it mean misfortune on someone else? Would it mean her freedom if she could have it? The slave swallowed,

"Home... what was home at any rate. I would want to go, maybe travel... find out what I missed from being locked and shackled for five years... Why" She answered.

It was a childish dream. One she had yearned for months into her punishment in the blackened room on that damned vessel. One she had dreamed about and set as a foolish goal. A hope.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

The lich listened to her answer. Gave her the time to formulate it. In no rush herself. The glowing ember of her cigar occasionally lit her face, but Vailea was otherwise shroud in shadow. A slight thing.

Home. That was usually the answer she got when she rescued someone. They always wanted to go home. Whatever that meant, wherever that may be. A longing for the safe and familiar. The lich got it, understood it. After another long exhale, Vailea said, "Well, you won't be going home. You're on a pirate ship, and all we do is travel. Occasionally dock in a port. Now, this trip can go one of two ways, Nera. You can behave, and we can get along, and you can be my guest. Or you can cause trouble for me, and you'll be a very different sort of guest. Either work for me, and either are entertaining in their own way." The captain's feet slid off the desk, hitting the wooden floor before she leaned forward.

Taking another long drag before releasing more hazy, blue smoke. "Do you understand me?"

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

She knew the answer before it left the Woman's lips. She could never go home. It was destroyed. Gone. Decimated by people with selfish desires. Either way She wouldn't go home even if she could. Bronze hair shifted till it covered her face. She was on a ship with a strange captain who called her a 'guest', but they both knew she wasn't so much a guest but a pet. She would have to obey the woman's demands, maybe earn some shattered trust.

Nera inhaled deeply, siting straight and nodding her head. Travel..... maybe she could find some sort of haven in the midst of this captivity. Maybe it could turn into something pleasant.

"I understand Vailea..."

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

The lich smiled before she stood, then gestured. It was almost lost in the shadows, but could be interpreted as 'come here' or 'follow me'. Especially since she started walking toward her door. With a jerk, it opened and spilled cool, ocean air in the cabin. "Come see the deck."

The Red Jewel was an old, massive ship. Now that the excitement of the day had died down, there weren't that many wandering around. A couple husks, maintaining rigging, and dancing mage lights that floated just above head level to cast eerie green light across the wood, light wisps haunting the ship.

Vailea didn't wait to see if Nera would follow, she just assumed the girl would at this point. She walked to the port side of the ship, leaning against the slender, wooden railing. Clouds overhead occasionally blot out the moon, but around them was a seemingly endless expanse of inky black water. Calm, for now, though there was a steady breeze pushing at the sails. Almost lazily so. "Eventually you can wander around the deck, but there are some other slaves we picked up that need... situated first." Vailea shot the girl a smile like she'd told a joke.

Well, to her it had been. "It's not like there's really anywhere for you to go and, if you wander below deck... Well, you're no longer my guest, but the crew's." Simple enough rules.

@MischiefNotManaged

[MischiefNotManaged]

      She had followed. Slipping out of comfortable blankets to pad across the wooden floor. The ship was gorgeous, if one ignored the undead. Deep stained wood, the etheral light from the wisps casting just enough coverage to light the way. The moon did the rest, shining upon the ship and showing the hint of blue that was in the dark depths of the sea.

Nera sighed softly, breathing in the cool air that caressed her face as they leaned against the deck railing.  She listened to the warning. That was all it was, as dimmed as Vailea had made it. A warning to stay in her chambers. Waiting till she was given an order. To stay above deck, where if one were to harm her without the captains permission would mean disaster.

"Stay in your chambers until I'm given permission then" She stated. The copper haired female breathed in deeply, it.... wasn't horrible. Given her circumstances. She still yearned for the day she could call herself free. For the day when she could choose what she wanted to do, but for now being confined to a room with soft blankets was far better than chained to a wall and starved.

@SanctifiedSavage

[SanctifiedSavage]

Vailea watched the girl while she soaked up the fresh air, smiling a little. After she took a long drag of the sweet cigar, the lich offered it to her new guest. The ship was full of such luxuries. It's what the pirates did – collected things they enjoyed. Food, wine, bodies, drugs... Vailea and her ilk limited themselves to nothing.

She saw no reason to be stingy.

"And if you survive long enough, I'll leave you at some port and you can go on your merry way." Not a false statement, either. Vailea only killed when she needed to. The lich consumed the required souls to maintain her immortality, but they were usually enemies. Not people she'd brought aboard. There was no reason for her to kill the girl unless the girl gave her a reason. Well behaved guests were eventually let go.

The only problem with that was the lich's skewed sense of time. What felt like a year to Vailea might very well be ten to another.

@MischiefNotManaged