Zishen Nimma was a new sailor on the Rhymeway, and was excited to be there. She was young and optimistic, and since she was a little girl, the Navy always appealed to her. Bringing justice to criminals at sea and exploring the uncharted oceans; all of it would be well worth the grueling process to get approved for service. She wore a fresh uniform, the blue coat hanging to her knees. She stepped up the gangplank and found the captain.
She introduced herself as she learned to in training. "Z. Nimma, new sailor aboard the Rhymeway, captain."
The captain looked up at her introduction. He was bearded, bleary-eyed and disheveled, and wore a look of confusion as she introduced herself. "Nimma? Nimma, Nimma, where have I heard that?" He scratched his beard as he took a swig from a flask sitting on the rail next to him.
"From the list of new recruits, captain," said a voice from behind Zishen. She turned and saw a spindly man with blonde hair walking toward them, carrying a small crate. "Tren Visah, first mate. That is Captain Caullen. Allow me to show you around the ship." He set down his crate and gestured to Zishen, walking down to the bow. He showed her all around the ship, and soon she was confident with her ability to navigate it.
As they walked through a dark room below deck, she decided to ask him a question that was bothering her. "So, Captain… Caullen, was it? He's really the captain of the vessel?"
Tren nodded. "He can be less than inspiring, but he has experience."
"From what I've seen, you seem to run this ship more than he does."
"Someone has to keep us afloat. I'd hate to run into pirates with the ship in the condition it was when I joined."
"If you're doing so much more work, why aren't you the captain?"
Tren laughed at that. "You really are new. He's the captain because someone in a castle said so, not because he's a good sailor." His answer didn't sit quite right with her, but she pushed the thought to the back of her mind.
"We set off soon, right? What should I be doing?"
"We should both get above deck, and talk to the captain. I'll give him a report, and he'll point you in the right way."
They found their way above deck and to the captain. When she asked what she should be doing, he pointed to some sailors working with ropes. She made her way to them and set to help them prepare to sail. Once she had finished, she asked them what came next. They shrugged and walked off. She was disappointed again, but decided not to let it hamper her spirit. She found that her crewmates weren't much for talking, so she found a place to sit and wait for work.
She sat near the bow, and watched the horizon. The Navy thus far wasn't exactly what she'd imagined, but the open ocean was still beautiful. She loved the feel of the air, and the blank horizon stretching out forever. She felt there must be something new and exciting out there, and couldn't wait to find it.
She didn't do much for the rest of the day, and the only real break from the monotony that day was the sunset. While she'd seen plenty at her home, the way the sky sat unbroken except by the sea made the beautiful colours all the more amazing. She had some of her optimism restored as she lay down to sleep for the night.
She woke to the sound of gulls. As she rose, she saw they were already in port. She was surprised the trip was so short, but she went above deck to find something to do. As she was, she ran into Tren.
"Going to see the captain?" he asked.
"Yeah, I was wondering what to do again."
"Don't bother. He's still passed out in his cabin. Go to the cargo hold and grab a crate. Follow everyone else, you'll find where they go."
"Tren, is the whole Navy this disorganized?"
He thought. "Probably not, but there's not a lot of incentive to perform past the captain. There are a few ships that are a bit more presentable. And then of course, there's the Dragon Fleet."
"Dragon Fleet?"
He smirked. "Legend among sailors. They're a small fleet of incredible sailors. The captains are rumoured to all come from the same band of merciless pirates. Word is, they've got a hand in the Court, so they get first pick on all the best recruits. Whatever the truth is, they're specifically reserved for hunting pirates and destroying the enemies of the kingdom at sea."
"That's a lot of hearsay."
He nodded. "True, but they have the sort of reputation that invites rumours. Their skill is no rumour, though. The Rhymeway was once brought in to tag along with their fleet. We met up with a couple pirates on the way, as it was those sort of waters. The entire group was scuttled before the Rhymeway's cannons were even ready to fire."
Zishen thought about it. "Any way you know of that would help one end up on one of those ships?"
Tren laughed. "You really want to do something real, I get it. I mean, they look for the best sailors, so prove yourself at sea and in combat, you could attract some real attention. I can't tell you much more than that, though. I know the Rhymeway isn't exactly the best place to attract attention, but I'm sure you'll manage."
She nodded and headed down to the cargo hold, finding a crate to take to the dock. She hefted one up. It was surprisingly heavy, but nothing she couldn't handle. She set it down in a wagon with the others, and turned to find a new crate. She was stopped by another crew member.
"This one's the last," he said, indicating the crate he was carrying. "Why don't you head inside and let them know it's all here." Zishen turned and stepped through the door of the building near the wagon. She found an empty room, some sort of counter for staff to receive people, but no one behind it.
"Hello? The Rhymeway's cargo is here…" she trailed off as she realized no one was going to hear her. She looked around, and found another door behind the counter. She opened it, and found herself in the main storage area. It was a large, dim room, only some sunlight streaming in small room was tightly packed with shelves and crates, almost a maze of cargo. She was about to call out, when she heard voices.
"Let's do this quickly, shall we? I don't see why we couldn't meet elsewhere. This is not a secure place." Zishen was curious, and slowly made her way closer.
"Last I checked, my lord, you want my help. We meet on my terms, without question." She rounded a corner and saw through a gap between crates two men, one in fine clothes, the other in a dark cloak.
"I did not come to discuss the terms of the meeting. I have the payment you requested, and you will ensure they are destroyed, yes?"
"I'll send my best men. These are no mere brutes. They are finely trained in the art of ki. Some mountain hermits will prove no challenge."
"I should hope you are not underestimating them."
"I am not that cut-rate hack I hear you hired last year. My men will be thorough and ready. It will be reduced to rubble in time."
"And there will be no witnesses?"
"My lord, what do you take me for? Of course not. No one will know the Court is responsible."
Zishen was confused and curious about the whole conversation. This noble was with the Duskstone Court? Who was the one in the cloak? What were they destroying? Why all the secrecy? She was puzzling over this when she heard a voice whisper in her ear.
"Snooping where you shouldn't be?" The voice made her skin crawl, and she turned to see a sick grin on an elf clad like the man she was spying on. He kicked her and she was sent into the wall behind her, suddenly in plain view of the two meeting in the warehouse. The elf walked over to her and turned to them.
"Found this one listening in, sir."
The nobleman turned and said, "I thought we were alone."
"Security is important. Had I not kept K around, this one would have heard everything."
"You test my patience, Vi-"
"Do not say my name! This is not a place that can be trusted."
The nobleman bristled. "Very well. This woman is a captive of the Court. I shall take care of her." He handed over a sealed envelope. "This contains details on a group causing problems for the Court. Track them down and help destroy them, and I'll consider you for the Ganden job. Get out of my sight." The nobleman stepped to Zishen, who was still recovering from her blow.
"Now what are you doing in a Navy uniform spying on me? Do you understand who I am?"
She looked up at him, dizzy, and shook her head.
"I am Iothane Bithus, noble member of the Duskstone Court. You will regret meddling in my business." He grabbed her arm roughly, and dragged her to a covered carriage, throwing her into a seat. He pulled rope from a bag and tied her up, gagging her with a cloth. There were two other people waiting inside.
One of them asked, "Who's this?"
Iothane answered, "She was eavesdropping."
"So we drop her in the dungeon, right?"
Iothane slapped him. "Look at her clothes, you imbecile! She's Navy. Someone could identify her. We do not want questions about why there is a soldier rotting in the dungeons. Anyway, I've a better plan for her."
"What is it, sire?"
Iothane signaled for the carriage to stop. Rain had picked up, and the sky was a dark grey, the rain pounding the cobbled street with no sign of stopping. Iothane searched through Zishen's clothes, pulling out a few gold coins, her weapons, and any other belongings of value.
"She'll be lovely fuel for the push for more guards on the streets. I can hear the crier now," he said, pulling a dagger from his coat. "' Petty thieves leave soldier dead in alley.'" He plunged the dagger into her stomach, pushing her out of the carriage into an alley. The carriage door closed and it pulled away. She clutched at the dagger, blood pouring out around it as rain soaked her. She heard soft footsteps as she fell unconscious.
She woke up in a strange room, flickering candlelight playing across the walls. She groaned as she tried to get up. A man sitting in the corner got up as she did.
"No, no no no, love. Lay down. You're alright. Got mugged, did you? Lucky I happened across you in there."
Zishen looked up at him. He wore a soft grin, through which she could see he was missing a few teeth. She felt where she had been stabbed, but found bandages there.
"You have a name, love?"
She shook her head clear. "Zishen, Zishen Nimma, where am I?"
"Safe, for one. Clerics of Silvanus run this place. They've been finding people who need help and helping them."
"You don't seem like much of a cleric."
"That's because I ain't. They picked me up a while back, nasty blow to my head. Didn't remember a thing, not even my name. They had to call me by the name of the last bloke they'd had in my bed."
"And what name is that?"
He smiled wider. "Pim, Miss Nimma. Anything you need at the moment?"
She thought. "Some water?"
"Ah, of course. Just a minute." He stepped out of the room, and when he'd returned, he had a tall cup full of water. "Best if you sit up, there." He handed her the cup, and she drank.
"Tell me, Miss Nimma, what were you doing in the alleys of High Stone, you're practically asking for thieves to get you like that."
"Thieves?"
"Well, yeah. They took everything you had, unless you were wandering around without money and with an empty scabbard."
"I wasn't robbed. Not by common thieves."
Pim looked confused. "So… you were wandering around without money and an empty scabbard?"
Zishen shook her head. "His name was… Iothane Bithus."
"Bithus… now I swear I've heard that name…"
"He said he was with the Duskstone Court."
Pim snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "That's right, that's where I've heard it. Wait, he robbed you and stabbed you and left you in an alley to die?"
Zishen nodded. "I heard something I wasn't meant to, apparently."
"I see. Not that surprising, then. What did you hear?"
"Something about a job, something that wasn't meant to be tracked back to the Court. Do you know the name Ganden?"
"Can't say I do. Ah, well, it doesn't do to dwell. You have a fatal wound to recover from. I'll be around if you need me."
"Alright. Thank you, Pim."
"Not a problem, Miss Nimma."
She sat in her bed, thinking about the conversation she had heard. No matter what she tried, she couldn't make any sense of it. She gave up and started looking around the room. She noticed a strange painting hanging across from her. When Pim was next checking up with her, she asked him about it.
"Oh, that? I think it's a cockatrice. Some sort of symbol for the clerics. Diversity and danger, beauty of freedom, something like that."
"Interesting."
"That's good. You'll be looking at it for some time, I'm afraid. That wound has you in quite the bad way."
For the next week, Zishen was confined to her bed, any attempt to stand drawing a sharp pain from her wound, so she stayed there. Pim kept her company until she was finally able to stand without pain. She wasn't content with waiting around any longer, so she offered to help. She was helping take care of a young elf, when she heard a strange noise. She found Pim and asked him about it.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yeah, strange thing…"
"What was it?"
"I have no idea, I'm afraid."
Zishen was about to dismiss it when she heard it again. A deep, muffled impact, resonating through the whole of the building. She listened hard, then heard it again, followed by a thud. She ran to its source and saw a black cloaked man followed by a troop of soldiers forcing his way into the building, a battering ram on the floor next to his feet. A cleric tried to stop him, but he quickly sent a dagger flying directly into the cleric's chest. He fell, dead.
One of the soldiers stepped out in front of the dark-cloaked man, announcing, "This building's occupants are under arrest by order of King Duskstone, surrender yourselves or die!" Zishen ran down the hall to find Pim. She told him what was happening, and he frowned. He cursed and ran to find the head cleric. Zishen turned back to the invaders. They were making their way through the building, rounding up everyone they found and killing anyone who resisted. She ran into the room where the soldiers were and shouted at the dark cloaked man. He looked up, and laughed.
"Well, well. Look who it is. I never thought I'd see you again." He pushed his hood up and she saw the man who met Bithus. "So they took you in, ah? Shame we had to cross paths again. I shouldn't think you'll come quietly." He reached into his coat and threw a dagger at her. She stepped to the side as it flew toward her, and it stuck with a thud into the wall behind her.
"Oh my. A quick one you are. Let's have some fun." His mouth spread into a wide grin as Zishen pulled the dagger from the wall behind her. She held it in front of her as she watched his movements. He pulled out a shortsword and pointed it at her. "Let's see how good you really are."
A soldier behind her tried to grab and restrain her, but she dodged out of the way and stabbed her dagger into him, removing his sword from his scabbard.
Zishen smirked at him. "Now we're on even ground. Let's see what you have." The dark-cloaked man rushed at her, sending a savage stab at her head. She parried and stabbed at him with her dagger, but he twisted out of the way and swept his sword at her legs. She blocked the strike and stabbed at his chest with her sword, slicing fabric as he dodged. He threw another dagger at her, but she dodged it, letting it strike a guard watching warily behind her.
He scowled and stabbed again. She parried. He swept at her head. She dodged and stabbed at him. He dodged and sliced at her with a dagger. She stopped his arm and stepped in close, holding the point of her sword against his throat. His face was incredulous.
"What the hell were you doing on a bottom of the barrel ship in the Navy?" She stared at him fiercely, putting more pressure into the blade at his throat. It broke skin, and a drop of blood trailed down his neck. She had tunnel vision as she barely registered the sound of his sword hitting the floor.
She was grabbed from behind, thrown to the ground and before she could react, shackles were put on her arms. The black-cloaked man spit and held a hand to his throat. "Should have killed me, you fool. Take her wherever you will, just don't let her get out this time."
Footsteps made their way up the wooden floor of the hall, and Zishen heard Pim's voice. "Nimma! We managed to get everyone else out! Let's go!" He ran into the room, and when he saw what was happening, froze in place. "Oh. I see." He was then grabbed by a soldier, and didn't resist much as he was shackled.
They were both brought out and marched behind the alleyways to a Navy brig. Zishen realized she recognized the brig as the Rhymeway, the very same ship she sailed in on. They were forced into the hold, by none other than Tren Visah, who didn't hesitate for a moment when he saw Zishen. In the dark hold, they joined a group of other prisoners.
Zishen was beside herself. After all that, she couldn't defeat him? She was so close, and she let herself get caught up in everything, and let her guard down. She wasn't completely sure where all that had come from, but to display skill like that and let some guard sneak up on her? Pathetic. Pim saw this, and in the darkness of the brig, tried to cheer her up.
"Hey, Miss Nimma, it's alright. We got everyone else out. All the rest of the clerics, all the injured people, the sick ones, they're safe. It's alright."
Zishen just sat with her head hung. All of Pim's cheering was doing nothing to help. Then someone else spoke up.
"Wait… you two are with the Silvanians?"
Pim replied, "Yeah, and Miss Nimma here single-handedly held off a whole shock of the 'king's finest men,' long enough to safely move everyone out when they raided us. It was blooming brilliant, not sure what she's all moping about."
Another voice picked up. "The Silvanians saved my sister when she was left for dead in the street a few months back. They patched her up and got her safely home, like nothing ever happened."
The first voice spoke up. "They're the last blessing this damned city has; maybe this whole damned kingdom. A whole shock, you say? I'm guessing that's something like, what, ten soldiers at least?"
"Something like that, and some elf in dark robes."
"Must have been some sort of mercenary. If you can do that…" Nimma jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Then you just might be able to get us out of this hell hole." She felt movement around her wrists and her shackles popped off. She was surprised, and started rubbing her wrists as she stood up.
"You've been free this whole time?"
"The locks are rubbish," he said as he knelt down to pick another set of shackles. "The real trick is what to do after you get them off. I've been waiting for the right opportunity, and you sound like it."
"No, I can't-"
"Look, you're the best shot we're ever going to get. Most likely, we're all going to die when this ship gets to where it's going anyway, might as well die fighting."
Zishen furrowed her brow, and shook her doubt away. She was responsible for these people, one way or another. "Alright. I know this ship. I was stationed on it, not too long ago. We can get to the armory without raising any alarms. You, the one with the lockpicks, what's your name?"
"Qindan, at your service."
"Qindan, I want you to come with me. Elf, right?"
"Indeed I am, so no, the dark gives me no trouble."
"Good. We'll head to the arms chest, arm everyone here. Everyone else, sit tight and look like prisoners." She led the way out of the hold, creeping along the wooden floor. By now her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she could mostly see her way through. Very little resistance met them, and it was easy to sneak by. They arrived in the section of the hold that stored the weapons on the ship, and Zishen carefully picked herself a nicely balanced rapier. She gave it a few swings, and found it satisfying. Long hours of training for future pirate fighting taught her how to pick out a sword.
She found a scabbard for the blade, then together with Qindan, she gathered a collection of shortswords, longswords, rapiers and daggers to spread around the rest of the captives. They returned quietly, and distributed the weapons.
"We need to keep quiet for as long as possible," she said to the other prisoners. " We take out anyone below-deck, then position ourselves at each staircase. There are three, so I want three groups. One with me, one with Qindan, and one with Pim."
Pim tilted his head. "Leading fighters ain't exactly my thing, Miss Nimma."
"Then find someone in your group more suited. The point is, once we control the hold, we can burst out before anyone above deck knows what's happening. Once we leave here, we need to be quick and quiet. If an alarm is raised, if they have even a second to ready themselves, we're all dead. Once your group is positioned, let out a whistle to signal. Once everyone's ready, we go on my signal."
The group murmured in agreement, and set out quietly into the hold. Zishen was to take the stairs closest to the stern, and she intended to get to the captain. She let out a whistle, and waited a few seconds before hearing the response from the other groups. She took a deep breath, and let out a final signal, bursting through the trapdoor above her.
Above deck there was a moment of confusion. She rushed her way to the stern, slashing at soldiers on her way. She leapt up the stairs and ran through the helmsman with her rapier. She looked up and saw Captain Caullen, cowering with his back pressed against the rail of the ship. She glanced back and saw that the rest of the Navy crew had either died or thrown down their weapons. She dragged the captain out to where everyone could see.
"Please," he blubbered. "I was just acting on orders, I don't know what they want with you, I don't even know who you are!"
Zishen looked at him coldly. "Z. Nimma. New captain aboard the Rhymeway, sailor." with that, she plunged a dagger into his throat, dropping his limp body. A cheer rang out from the others below her. Pim stepped up to the stern.
"What do we do with the prisoners, captain?"
"I don't want to risk them in the hold. Throw them overboard."
Pim turned to the others. "You hear? Toss 'em over!" The crew quickly complied, forcing the navy sailors over the side. As an afterthought, Zishen cut free a lifeboat, letting it crash into the ocean below. They weren't the real enemy. She was just as bad as them not a few weeks prior. She took to the helm.
"Who here knows how to work a ship?" A few hands raised, some didn't. "Everyone who can, find a way to be useful, I want full mast on the double. Everyone else, look through the hold and find anything you can." She turned to Pim. "Go into the captain's quarters, find a map, anything that can help tell us where we are. I'm going to keep us on whatever course she was taking, until then." Pim nodded and ran down to the quarters.
When he returned, Zishen was able to work out, with the help of some tools he recovered, where they were, and where they were headed. It was Duskstone territory, but so was anywhere else they could reach. As long as they kept their heads down, they'd be fine. She kept them on course until they arrived in port. When they arrived, they were greeted by an official.
"Rhymeway, you're expected here, good, good. Where's the captain?" Zishen was about to speak up, when Pim stepped in front.
"He's fallen a bit ill, I'm afraid. We had a touch of trouble on the way here, weather, you know how the sea is. Take me inside, show me what it is we're meant to bring here, I'm sure we can get things sorted. As he walked away, he winked at Zishen, who nodded back. She turned to her fellows on the ship.
"We're in Dunstey at the moment. All the records of you being prisoners were on this ship, and have been destroyed. You're all free to live your lives." Some murmuring among the people broke out, and one or two stepped off the ship, disappearing into the city. The rest awkwardly stood about, and Zishen was confused. Qidan spoke up.
"You see, most of us have nowhere really to go. We didn't end up in that hold because of an abundance of opportunity. But you were brilliant there, and we have plenty against the crown. So, I would like to speak on behalf of everyone else who hasn't left, and ask you to be our captain."
Zishen was shocked, but she saw approval through the crowd. She considered her options, and decided to accept. "Very well. I'll be your captain. But I want this ship to run at top shape, we don't stand a chance if we slack up. You understand we're one ship against an entire kingdom, aye?"
A cheer rang out through the crew, and Zishen failed to suppress a smile. "Right. First thing to do is to get to somewhere more discreet. We'll set sail for Kartau, that's a safe enough port. Until then, everyone who can't sail, I want the holds cleaned up and organized, it's a mess down there." She continued to give orders and found a position for everyone under her command. All her extra sailors were paired up with someone less experienced, and gave lessons on sailing.
Pim returned, his hole-filled grin a familiar sight to Zishen.
"That Navy bloke won't be giving us any problems for a while. What's the plan?"
"We're sailing to Kartau. There we'll make all the changes we need to."
"Good thinking." He sat down on a barrel. "You know, I don't know about you, but Rhymeway isn't the best name."
Zishen nodded. "She needs a new one." Zishen thought, then remembered the painting across from her old bed. "Cockatrice. She'll be the Cockatrice."
"A deadly creature of wild beauty. I like it. So, captain, what am I to do here, on the Cockatrice?"
"I want you to be my first mate."
He looked at her and laughed. "Me? First mate? I don't even know how to sail."
"Neither does half the crew. You know enough about what you're doing, and you have the most important thing."
"A winning smile?"
"Confidence. If you don't think you can do it, you can't."
"Oh. That makes a lot of sense, I suppose."
"I'll be in my cabin. I have a lot to organize. I want you to get a better sense of the crew. Tell me when we're at Kartau."
"Aye, Captain Nimma."
The Cockatrice sailed out of port, off to Kartau, ready to fight the tyranny of the Duskstone Court with whatever she could scrap together.
There you go, some much-needed backstory on Captain Nimma! This, of course, is just her first taste of the problems within the Duskstone Court, which will be expanded on soon. In the meantime, check out my Tumblr, at WeeCocoFlakes! Shameless plug, I know, but I really want to interact with readers and this is the best way, as far as I can see. I'd love to hear questions and such, so please check it out. I also post updates there, so it's really not a bad idea. That's all for now, so I'll awkwardly sign off here.
-WeeCoconutFlakes