Fate - First Reply A Caravan Asunder

[Erudwën]

Swirling, rushing water was all Erudwën knew, the dull sounds of the outside world beyond the river, which had rapidly opened up towards the main. She heard a dull thud, felt herself slam against something soft and yet hard at the same time and with a lolling roll of her head, she coughed and spluttered as a mouthful of water rushed down her lungs.

She was latched to Douglas instinctively, arms wrapped around his shoulders and her boots gripping the slippery base of the rock they had landed against, she watched him shout over the sound of water, saw the word form on his lips, her name maybe? She felt her eyes flutter once, felt the cold sleep that would no doubt be so comforting, no more worries, no need to feel anything, just numbness as she floated down the river, likely to be found days later half eaten and bloa-

The snow elf snapped her eyes open and gritted her teeth, one hand grabbing the base of Douglas' ruined tunic and the other the back of his neck. She pressed her face close to his ear and reached to take hold of a discarded piece of driftwood lodged against the stone edge.

"Trust me, let go." Her teeth chattered, her voice hoarse, and grey and black striations had formed across her neck and face like eroded veins, the magical toll of her abilities that were spent with no focus, raw and unfiltered. Nodding, she lurched herself backwards with all of her remaining might against the cold, lashing flow of the current, legs burning despite the chill as she pushed off and used the momentum on her back, the pair dipped and ebbed beneath the water before she felt the grind of dirt against her back.

Erudwën scrambled to get a hold, fingers clutching dirty sand, mud and twigs and ground debris, she slipped twice, before catching hold of something more solid, perhaps a root? With her knee to Douglas' sternum, she pulled against her hold and dragged him from the water with a screamed shout, dropping to her front with her face in the crook of his elbow, breaths coming in shallow, wavering breaths, ragged as though she had swallowed gravel.

The sound of running water was all she could hear, then the crunch of boots and the dim glow of yellow, it drifted in and out of focus, before she lifted her head, opened her mouth to speak and was promptly met with a swift kick to the face. Her blurred vision caught site of Douglas for a moment, enough to see the flat of an axe meeting the side of his head, before she drifted into an uncomfortable unconsciousness.
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The next thing either of them would be aware of was the feeling of a gentle sway, bobbing to and fro, almost calming, the clatter of wood and metal from side to side and the hard wooden pole against their backs, hands bound with a joined length of rope against a metal grating above their heads, the room lit only by a single, half burnt oil lantern.

Well, they were not dead at least... Not yet.​

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Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

"Let go.", she had said, but his muscles didn't want to agree. They strained, striations forming beneath the skin as every ounce of strength attempted to hold on - but eventually, either his mind won, or his muscles lost, because he did let go.​

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They shuttered down the river, desperately clinging to one another in the hopes the other would save them. Douglas was under the water, swallowed more than he should've, and began to blackout even before they reached the shore. His last memory was beneath the waves, before the soft sound of wood creaking and swaying took hold.​

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He awoke from a dream he couldn't remember, cold and shivering. The room was dark, half lit, and moving - at least he thought it was, or his inner ear was absolutely busted. Not a good sign if he got his hands free. With ribs still broken, his arm still dislocated, and his hands tightly bound he could do little more than relax and await his fate.​

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"Eru? You still alive back there?", he said, glancing around - assuming it was her he was attacked to with a pole separating them.​

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"You better be.", he said with a continued annoyance, though less at her - and more at the fact they'd somehow made their situation even worse.​

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Erudwën​

 

[Erudwën]

Naturally, waking up and finding oneself bound, wounded and in dire straits in the middle of a ship's hold likely would not be an excellent start to a day at the best of times. Douglas however handled it rather well it seemed. The sound of his voice calling her name roused her from the drifting unconsciousness she was suffering since the kick to the head.

Groaning low and resting her head on the pole behind her, she glared up at the ropes as though that look alone might intimidate them into snapping. That did not happen however, so she hung her head once more, dirty white hair matted in mud and blood, she had been stripped of all of her belongings and figured he must have been too. Just her leathers keeping her from shivering to death, still damp from the short swim. She assumed they must have been out for hours. And they had her sword. Damn.

"I'm here..." She spoke from bruised lips, the left side of her face swollen purple, her eye bloodied and swelled shut and she was paler than she had been hours before if that was even possible. How could so much go so wrong so quickly? Maybe it had something to do with her prior actions, setting forth a cascading domino effect of terrible ideas that had dragged Douglas down with her.

Erudwën gave a testing tug of the rope above her head and glanced down from her good eye, her legs had been bound too so wiggling free assuming she had the strength, likely would not achieve much. The elf pondered how to voice her thoughts through the pounding of her skull.

"I'm sorry, it was meant... I was meant to make it right. A plan... Should have worked." She mumbled helplessly, flexing her fingers and feeling them wiped clean, not a spec of blood to cast anything, this was curious to her and she cast her eyes back around the holding cell, wood, no metal apart from the grate above their heads and no objects other than the lantern, a stool and two crates. "Do you see anything...?" She asked with a frown, head turning to try and see past the man's shoulder.​

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Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

At least she was alive. Her apology made him want to say 'I told you so', but somehow, he felt that wasn't going to go over well while they were both bound. Didn't help them get away any faster anyway - so he kept his mouth shut for a moment as he glanced around.​

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"These aren't your friends, by chance are they? Some weird greeting you guys got? Fetish maybe?", he said, throat scratchy as he exuded terrible humor.​

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On his side, he saw little and less as well. Boxes, a lamp, a smaller door befitting a ship's under belly, but none of it screamed escape opportunity. Distantly, he could hear wind, waves, and the chatter of men, yet he couldn't make out what they were saying. The intermittent sound of gulls however told him they were at least near the coast.​

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"We're near the shore, but I've nothing over here. Someone'll probably come to check on us soon I imagine.", he said, hoping ever so slightly they'd feed them when they did.​

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Erudwën​

 

[Erudwën]

Erudwën could practically feel Douglas' need to say the words, or perhaps she just imagined it. She felt like it needed to be said, what had happened to the plan? That was something she may never know, her brash, sporadic feelings once again getting in the way of something that should have gone off without a hitch.

Testing her bonds again, arms pulling and legs twisting and turning for a good few minutes, she listened to Douglas' questions with gritted teeth and grunted in response. She wanted to tell him that once she was free, she would kill everyone onboard so it largely did not matter who they were but tempered herself. In no shape to cast even a small illusion and only able to see out of one eye, she hardly trusted herself to swing a dagger at a wall.

"I do not suppose you will be too keen on another swim then?" She made some attempt at humour, never having been one for small talk. She supposed she had no choice but to learn given the current situation, but before she could say another word and seemingly right on time with Douglas' own thoughts the door opened with a heavy swing and clatter.

Five men entered the room, each smelling of sweat, sea salt and pirate. All wore various weapons; one far too many to be practical, including Erudwën's sword across his back atop the sheathed sword of Douglas, as little as that was worth.

The sea air would be ruining her blade, she thought sadly, neck craning to see who had entered. Priorities Eru, priorities.

Most notably, not a single one bore any food. Not a good sign at all. Eru opened her mouth and promptly shut it when one of the men shunted Douglas in his ribs without much reason on passing, she winced in response as if feeling his pain and watched the broad human settle himself against the far wall, arms folded, gaze working it's way lazily along her form. She spat in his direction, or as best she could through bruised lips.

One of the pirates, an elf dressed appropriately pirate-y sat on the edge of one of the crates, a short lit pipe dipping gently from his thin lips, smoke puffing now and again as he regarded the pair, mostly Douglas as he was in front of him.

"Now now now..." He spoke in a slow, lilting tone, lips cracking into an almost friendly smile, "If you were a pouch of coin in my palm and I were to have the Ceraki slavers lock cold iron upon your necks. How much do you think you would be worth?" He asked Douglas, standing to saunter over and pat his cheek thrice, each one harder than the last until it was more of a slap, "What say you?"​

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Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

"Is it too late I don't much care for swimming?", he offered back as he tested the range of motion in his swollen arm. Having it raised helped, but having it twisted and bound up in chains was really not helping. Especially now that the adrenaline had worn off.​

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A bunch of men entered right after, each more sea salt coated than the last. Douglas watched them, trying not to inhale - sea fairing folk rarely bathed, which Douglas always found odd given they were always surrounded by the ocean. Before anyone even had said anything, one of the men had knee'd him in the ribs - directly on the already broken ones.​

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His breath left him, his knees went weak, and his entire weight was put on the single good arm gripping white knuckled on rope. His vision was white and hot, his head falling limp as he tried to stop himself from passing out - and only barely succeeding. It took a few seconds for him to take in a breath, and another few to realize what the man had asked him. The slaps came quick and forceful, drawing his head upwards.​

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"M'lord, ahm' just a poor boy.", he said in a thick, obviously fake accent. Another smack across the face drew blood, enough that he could spit some on the ground and smile a crimson grin.​

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"C'mon - you got to be worth more than a smart mouth.", the man had said, gripping a chuck of Douglas's hair to hold it up. The others surrounded the group, one of the men looking Erudwen up and down - his eyes hanging up in all the wrong places.​

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"As a slave, not much.", he said, a bit worse off than before, still struggling against the pain in his chest.​

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"Got a bounty - alive. 30,000. Tell you where, but I need some comforts and promises first."​

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The elf seemed to raise a brow at that, glancing to another man in the collection before smiling;​

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"Sounds like too much trouble. Better we just sell you off."​

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Well, he had hoped the soft promise of gold might entice the captain - but maybe one of the others might get greedy and try and free them at the next port.​

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Erudwën​

 

[Erudwën]

Good Douglas, tell the blood thirsty pirate Captain how much you were worth and not the woman you were willing to risk your life with. Erudwën's eyes damn near popped from her skull when he mentioned the price on his head. Surely that was an attempt at freedom. She craned her neck some more, catching a glimpse of the man behind her; ragged and worn, how could he have such a bounty on his head?

The thought was shattered when the Captain spoke again to his men and stepped just enough into view for her to see him. Her heart skipped a beat and then hammered in her chest at the pace of a horse.

"Asewën..." She blurted out, but was silenced by the man eyeing her greedily, rough and calloused hand clamped around her mouth, his stale, stinking breath doing its best to knock her unconscious. The Captain visibly froze and looked once at Douglas and then behind him, before striding over and knocking the other pirate's hand aside, staring Erudwën in the eye, her features so battered with hair matted across her face she barely looked like she had back at the camp.

"What did you just say, woman? Speak, what did you say?" He hissed low, eyes a mix of shock and maybe a little horror. Two of the other pirates shifted about antsy and swapped glances.

"I said... Asewën," She said, sucking in breaths she did not know she needed, feeling as though her chest was sat upon by a thousand chests of coin, "Erudwën, daughter of Asewën," She lifted her gaze to match the Captains, teeth gritted, "The Witch of Lysendril."

The Captain grabbed a handful of her hair, lifting her features further up and towards the light of the candle before he turned a ghostly pale shade of white and strode towards the door of the brig. "Cut them down!" He barked, slapping the back of one of the men who looked about as confused as everyone else present. "Now you curs!" He roared further, before storming from the room.

The snow elf was not surprised when her bonds were cut and she was allowed to slide down onto the floor, watching as Douglas himself was cut loose and allowed to slump. The pirates left with lifting shoulders and more questions than answers, a single turn of the key sliding a heavy bolt secure, leaving the two to reel from the whiplash of events in only a few hours.

Erudwën rushed to Douglas' side despite her own wounds and propped his head up, gently turning it so she could see if he had any lasting damage from where the axe had hit before she gingerly let her hand lower to his ribs in an attempt to feel just how many had been broken.

"I may have sealed our deaths, for that I apologise." She spoke low, voice a fraction of the soft, calming allure of what it had been before their near-death experiences, "But it is better than a life in chains or worse."
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Douglas Haley​

 

[Douglas Haley]

The Captain's attention had diverted from him, obviously not impressed by the number he had claimed - the downside of being so far away from where people knew you, was that people didn't know you. Nobody around these parts would care he was worth a fortune half a continent away - which was sort of the point. Still, he would've liked at least someone to have acknowledged it.​

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The name Asewen was spoken, but Douglas had no semblance of who or what that was. Witch of Lysendril meant less - but it had at least made the elven captain freeze in his tracks and even cut them down. Douglas collapsed on the ground, too battered and beaten to bother sitting up. He groaned a bit, using his one arm to flip onto his back before Erudwen approached and supported his head.​

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As her hand wondered to his ribs, she'd feel at least 4 broken, at least so noticeably that bone was threatning to poke out of the skin. His breaths were shallow because of it, but it was to his credit that he was still conscious - he might not be the best fighter, but at least he was tough enough to deal with it now.​

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"Yeah - none of that made sense to me.", he said with a cough that only inspired a fits of moans. After a moment, he braced his elbow against the ground, pushed and pulled his wrist with his good hand until a audible thunk echo'ed near them - the sound of his bones falling back into place.​

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"Got any ideas how long until they come to kill us then? I'd really like a nap.", he said, letting his eyes close, trying to relax for the first time in hours.​

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Erudwën​

 

[Erudwën]

Erudwën was just as surprised as Douglas that her gamble had paid off. She had no doubts of who this pirate was, unfortunately, the situation was hardly what she had been expecting, or promised at that. The sound of bones popping back into place, which she assumed must have been his limp arm had her wincing. No stranger to pain or discomfort, death or wounding, still being so close was visceral and a little too close for comfort.

"I can not heal this, I have no magic capable of such." She told him, voice soft and soothing as best she could, instead, she stroked his matted hair back from his face and ripped a piece of cloth from the clothing beneath her leathers, wetting it in a gathered puddle where part of the wood had snapped and allowed seawater to enter. The cool wet cloth was wiped across his face to clean the worst of the mud and blood from his eyes and nose. "I think we'll head to sea soon enough and then he will have decided to do as he will, so rest for now."

She continued to wipe his features down and then his hair, at least to help with any discomfort before she rested him against the beam they had previously been tied to. "His name is Celethal," Erudwën told him, sitting cross-legged and eyeing the iron grate above their heads, likely leading up to the second level of the vessel they were on. Perhaps a brig she pondered. "Around thirty years ago, my mother Asewën; a powerful Coven Witch of Eretejva saved his life from tundra raiders and instead of sacrificing him to her arcane wills, she offered a pact. Should he be required, he will answer and only once the request is finished is he free. She bound him to this pact, I suspect the magic is long since faded but I am sure he will not know this."

The she-elf lay back, staring at the wooden ceiling. Unsure of why she was even bothering to tell the man the story, perhaps so she felt less guilty, with him knowing who his potential killer would be. It pays to know your enemy after all. "I requested Mother to send me a swift retreat once my retribution had been achieved, clearly she had answered my call but Celethal must have mistaken us for simple vagrants fleeing the chaos. It's been many years since we last met, now he will have to decide if it is worth risking the wrath of the Witch of Lysendril should he choose to kill me..." Erudwën gave Douglas a somewhat apologetic look; "Unfortunately it will take some convincing to keep you alive..." The statement was matter-of-fact, but it was clear the thought troubled her and she fell into silence, it could be many hours before the pirates returned with their decision. She could only hope her Mother's reputation far exceeded her true self.
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Douglas Haley​

 

[Douglas Haley]

"Celethal.", Douglas repeated quietly, groaning as he used his relatively non-sore arm to sit up.​

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"Well - at least I know the name of the guy that will kill me.", he said with the smallest hint of a smile, though there was some obvious stress behind it - be it the pain of their escape, their imprisonment, or everything inbetween.​

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He let his head drop against the pole behind him as he considered the consequences of what might come of this. Witches and their wrath were severe, he'd read of some of the more eccentric stories during his tenure at the College of Elbion, but he wasn't sure how much of that was actually true or not. He imagined it likely wouldn't matter in a few days, so he'd have to come up with a backup plan if all else failed.​

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"Don't think this man owes anything to my Father - so you're probably right. Harder sell to keep me alive."​

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"Probably no chance of a mutiny. Doesn't help to rely on a passing good Samaritan. Might just have to wing it, become a pirate myself - or burn the ship down and put my good graces in the Gods-That-Drowned."​

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Erudwën​

 

[Erudwën]

A small smile cracked across her bruised lips, eyeing the man with her one good eye. A breath of a chuckle escaped her as though she was not used to doing it like it felt unnatural to her. Clambering up onto one of the crates by the door, she settled her head back against the wood and closed her eyes.

"I do not put much Faith in the Gods, those below or above or on the ground we walk. Seems foolish to release the reins of Fate, what do Gods know of mortal men and women?" She said low, turning head her to listen against the wall for any movement. She heard the groan and creak of the ship, but nothing more. "I will think of something, if Celethal keeps to his pact... If not I suggest we get some rest, your idea of mutiny and a long swim may be our way out."

With that, the she-elf rested back as comfortably as possible considering their predicament. "If we get out of this Douglas of Nowhere, man of thirty-thousand gold. You will have to tell me your story, I feel it will be a tale to rival the annals."​

---

The following day, sometime around mornlate the pair were given a rude awakening, a heavy key in a lock and a swing of the brig door as it slammed against the hardwood behind it. Erudwën instantly reached for the sword that was not there and cursed beneath her breath, fingers flexing and wiping sleep from her eyes as she backed away towards where Douglas had been resting.

If needs be she could cast perhaps one more spell, it would take the majority of her energy, but it could have bought them some time. Preemptively her sharpened nails dug into the palms of her hand to release the flow of blood as Celethal stormed his way in. Regarding the pair down his crooked nose, he fixed his gaze mostly on Erudwën. Time had not been kind to the elf, she thought; one ear no longer stood to a proud point, cut off by what looked like a blunt knife, scars covered one side of his face from some kind of creature and he held himself with a swagger that she was sure he did not deserve.

"You, Witch. I'll honour our pact, you'll live but you'll make yourself useful aboard my ship," The pirate grunted, pointing a finger to Douglas, "This one dies. Throw him overboard." The order was short, quick and sudden. Enough for even Erudwën to reel.

Two of the pirates made a move to presumably grab Douglas and do their wicked deed but were halted when she stood in their path, fingers drawing a wide glyphic arcane path hastily through the air before she presented her bloody palms to the transparent markings and the pirates on the other side threateningly.

"This one as you call him; stays. My mother requested his service and service he has provided," She barked a lie, giving the two men a daring look to test what spell she had just created, if Douglas remembered his College Magic, he would be able to tell it was merely a harmless spell meant to create a bright light, low energy, low effect taught to children, "He will be compensated, provided for until we next berth. Unless you would like to have half of your vessel no more seaworthy than a piece of parchment."

Erudwën did her best to hide her shaking, arcane exhaustion mixed with the lack of water and food had taken their toll, the whiplash of events over the last few hours doing nothing to alleviate her problems. She gritted her teeth and snapped back, reinforcing her bluff; "Douglas here, as you have no doubt seen across his flesh is a rogue battlemage of Elbion, you know my mother's power Celethal, you have witnessed what can be done, do not test me." She bluffed, hoping to whatever Gods Douglas had sought faith with that he followed along.​

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Douglas Haley

 

[Douglas Haley]

When the men had reentered, it played out about how he had expected. The man offered an accord with Erudwen, but not him. He was, afterall, an unknown element, worthless, with no obligations to be paid off. When the two men had begun to move towards him, Douglas lowered himself ever so slightly as he palmed the large wooden splinter he had picked out of the pillar a hours prior.​

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All he would need was one to get close enough, and he'd stab them in the throat before they knew what was happening. Then, the sword on his hip - he'd use it to kill the other. The captain. Anyone who overheard the commotion before diving off the boat - hopefully through a ballista or canoneer hole on the hull. Before any of that happened, however, his elven partner in crime stood before them and held up rather mundane magic.​

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With confusion, Douglas heard her ploy - only getting the intention when she hit a bit too close to home with the 'Elbion Battlemage' mention. He wasn't one, but them knowing from where he might originate wasn't the best matter for either them, especially when it was easy to deduce his bounty likley came from that area now.​

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He chimed in after, quiet and low in the light of a small brig;​

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"Even boats at sea are kindling to a proper spell.", he said idly.​

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"You'd burn with us, magic boy!", one of the two men meant to grab him declared, fists clenched as a sweat began to form on his brow. Fear - good, just as he hoped.​

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"No - another spell would see me fast away to shore. That simple, burn and gone."​

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The Captain furrowed his brow at the two before turning to Erudwën and offering a reply.​