Hey everyone. Hope you all like the first chapter of 'Of The Soul'. Much more to come! Reviews are appreciated, this was written from a campaign I played recently, so if anything is unclear I might be stuck in roleplaying world and not writing world, so let me know and I clear it up in the next chapter. - Elmyth
Chapter One ~ All hands off deck
In the beginning, they stepped out from the flames. Horns protruding from their skulls, prehensile tails whipping at their sides, skin in a range of hues and pupil-less eyes. They were the spawn of the devil himself, or so people said. Others thought they were once humans, cursed by the gods for their blasphemous behavior and refusal to worship them. The most common myth was passed down from ancient times of a king who made a pact with the devil to give infernal power to the noble families and all their ancestors, in exchange for the lives of those he ruled. Regarded with mistrust and a general aversion, Teiflings were cast in an unpleasant light no matter which way the legend was spun.
Consequently, the way they were perceived drove most Teiflings to fulfill expectations placed upon them and Kai was no exception. She had experienced prejudice all her life; people clutched their coin purses a little tighter as she passed, crossed the street with their children to avoid her and shopkeepers watched her closely in their establishments. She knew the rumours, heard the whispers. She didn't care for the stories or fear any gods, Kai believed only one thing. That in the beginning they stepped out from the flames, and in the end she would be cast back into them.
'Two weeks, 3 days and…' A hesitation. '9 hours.'
Kai gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. There were several noises she had become accustomed to during her time spent as a prisoner on the Black Crown, a cargo ship set for an unknown destination; the footsteps of the Druid who paced like a caged animal, the occasional retching of the Monk who had yet to gain his sea legs and the plucking of lute strings coming from the seemingly unfazed Bard. These were incessant and irritating to say the least, but it was the constant time keeping of the ranger, glued to the only window of their cell as he watched the sun rise and set that truly drove Kai over the edge.
A wave slapped forcefully against the boat and everything inside tilted slightly. Not far from their cell, a set of keys jingled lightly and all heads turned. No, Kai thought, that's the most annoying sound on this hell bound tug. Since the six apparent criminals had been thrown together two weeks ago there had been little conversation. A few introductions and the occasional thought spoken aloud about their whereabouts and course, but the only steady exchange had been how to retrieve those keys.
Kai had been the first to try, slipping her tail through the bars and although greater than any man's reach, the keys were still out of hers. The Druid was next to attempt, futilely trying to use his mere strength to pry the bars apart. When they were moved to the ship, the Druid was the only one to adorn bracelets of twisted metal on each wrist and Kai supposed they were of magical origin, preventing him from transforming. Judging by the occasional snarl and the fact that he had tried to gnaw the bracelets off, Kai judged that intellect was not this man's strength and he most likely favoured the form of some large beast.
Next was the Dragonborn. His name was Alduin and it was the only one Kai had bothered remembering. She had seen Dragonborn before, back where she was from, and they were all the same. Tall, broad and demanding of your attention, Dragonborn held themselves with an air of authority. Alduin was unique to Kai in only one aspect. He was the colour of sun-bleached bones, each scale a lusterless white and his breath sent a shiver up the spines of those he addressed. Alduin was a race of Dragonborn known simply as the White and from Kai's little knowledge they could turn a man to a frozen statue in an instant with their breath and create blizzards more terrifying than natures. He had frosted the bars with his breath in a bid to set them free, but without any weapons none of them had the strength to break the metal and merely left them with an icy chill.
Kai drew her knees to her chest and her tail curled over her feet, twitching slightly in frustration. From the deck above there were shouts, hurried voices that sounded commanding but were too distant to make out.
'What's going on up there?' The monk still looked pale from sickness but he rose to his feet with the help of Alduin. Together they moved to the bars, as if being closer to the hatch to the deck would allow them to hear better. The Ranger, Falcon Kai recalled, although she doubted that was his real name, craned his neck to see out of the window and grunted.
'There's another boat. And they don't sound happy to see it.' Above came more shouts, louder this time and faster. As if startled by the noise and suddenly made aware of his surroundings, the Bard jumped to his feet and outstretched his hand, eyes wide. At first, Kai thought he had lost it completely, and then she saw the slight glow like moonlight at the tips of his fingers and recognized the magic. Outside, the keys jingled lightly as they were lifted from their hook but a phantom hand. They hovered unsteadily for a moment before passing through the bars, coming to rest in the Bard's open hand. Kai felt her face become hot and she pushed herself to her feet angrily.
'You could do that all along.' She took a step towards him, hands outstretched and ready to close around his throat. The ground lurched suddenly and the sound of wood groaning against wood as it snapped resonated as the group was thrown forward. A seam cracked across the side of the boat and across the floor, propelling splinters through the air and heaving the bars loose from their inserts. Wasting no time Alduin and the Druid wrenched their prison apart. The sounds of the crew were suddenly an undertone to metal colliding with metal.
'They've boarded the ship. Whoever they are, they don't sound nicer than the people we're already with.' In response, Kai reached for her weapon and when she found it wasn't there cursed. The others turned, unsettled by the Infernal language.
'Weapons. We need our things. This looks like the cargo hold, everyone pick a cell and start searching.'
The six of them split up, each taking a cell filled with boxes and crates. Kai tore apart boxes and to her annoyance found only personal belonging of seemingly well off people. The ship appeared to take passengers as well as cargo, the below decks would hold livestock and other commodities sold to cities, such as oil and rice. As she searched, Kai came across countless expensive silks and artefacts, but from her wealth of knowledge she knew they would be hard to sell and nothing struck her interest. In a small chest she found a selection of precious gems and she stowed a handful in a hidden pocket of her coat. Although she didn't care for wealth, despite her criminal profession, she wasn't sure what they would come across should they make it off the ship and judging by the hole that was tearing through the wood behind them, she thought there wouldn't be much of a boat left soon. A shout came from the cell beside her and she rushed in with the others, finding the Monk standing proudly over a broken crate and a pile of weapons and belongings. Picking through the items, Kai swung a great sword in a sheath onto her back, along with her simple rucksack and grasped her great axe, a familiar weight in her hands.
Alduin led the way up the ladder that led to the upper deck where the captain's quarters were located and the others followed. He seemed comfortable in a leadership position, like a soldier leading his troops. He had adorned himself with a plate breastplate and a sword and shield which looked as though it had seen many wars.
As they stood at the base of the ladder that led to the primary deck, the sounds of fighting were louder and they could here heavy footsteps as they passed over the hatch. Kai pushed herself to the front of the group, intent on taking some control back from Alduin. At the top of the ladder, she steadied herself with both hands and pushed the door open slightly with her tail. A quick glance revealed enough and she let the hatch fall shut quickly. The blood that spilled down from the cracks revealed enough to the others too and they took a step back.
'Not good,' she said to Alduin, who was already looking for another way out. Supposing no one wanted to fight with the people that had imprisoned them, nor take their chances with the unknowns who boarded their boat, they needed a way out and fast.
'Boats like these usually have a row boat attached to the back, for the Captain.' The Bard spoke up, his eyes averted from the blood that had now pooled at the base of the ladder.
Together they moved quickly through the bunks towards the back of the ship, maneuvering around debris the ship split apart around them. As the Bard had promised, a small row boat hung precariously beneath the stain glass window of the Captain's bedroom. Falcon pushed open the window and stepped into the boat without a second thought. The rope and pulleys groaned in response to his weight. Moving quickly, the others lowered the boat into the water before it could crash down itself. Being what appeared to be a cargo and passenger ship, the boat was probably never used or even maintained.
'Looks like the rest of us are climbing down. It'll at least give us a chance to stretch our legs after weeks cooped up,' the Monk smiled and swinging himself over the ledge of the window, proceeded down the ropes. The others followed suite, not weighed down by any heavy armor or weapons, leaving Alduin and Kai waiting at the top.
The Dragonborn stepped towards Kai, hands outstretched, motioning that he wished to help her remove the chain mail that protected her torso. It made sense to remove their armor. If they were to fall into the water or need to swim the very thing meant to protect them would take them swiftly to a watery death. Even so, Kai was reluctant to remove hers. Despite the urgency of their situation, Alduin stood patiently. A cloud of thick black smoke slinked towards them and Kai could feel the warmth of an unseen fire, devouring a part of the ship they had passed. Alduin glanced towards the blackness and back at Kai, his eyes a little wider than before. He was ice and she was fire.
As though realizing the same thing as her, Alduin moved to the ledge first, abandoning the idea of doffing their armor. The smoke reached them as he disappeared over the edge and Kai sucked in a last breath of sweet air. Engulfed in the vapor, her eyes teared and nostrils burned. She was resistant to fire, but not it suffocating counterpart. She could feel her lungs burn with stale air and judged Alduin would be at the bottom of the ropes already, so she heaved herself over the edge and slid down the ropes. Quicker than climbing she reached the boat in only a few seconds, but the fast descent burned her hands and she balled them at her sides to hide them.
As they rowed away from the wreckage they had a clear view of the boat that had taken theirs. It was smaller than the Black Crown, stream lined and sporting large sails it was built for speed. The rapid winds that made the sea regurgitate salty foam into the small rowboat kept the ships flags taut and clear. It bore the symbol of a Griffin, a beast with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle. The animal stood upright, grasping a sword with its blade in the ground, wings bent around the weapon.
Grufmir.
'Move,' she pushed the Monk out of his seat and took his oar. The friction burns on her hands screamed as she pulled back the oar with strength and speed that matched the Druid beside her. The boat moved swiftly.
No one spoke. No one needed to. There wasn't a soul on their boat, damned or otherwise, that didn't recognize the calamity of their situation as it came to light.
The Grufmir were a highly skilled and highly sought after mercenary group. Swords for hire with questionable morals and unquestionable reputation, they were not easily bought and never beaten. Kai had heard stories of them; taking cities for Kings, completing bounties that no one else managed to accomplish, ending wars for the highest paying side. They were military like in their achievements, proficient with their weapons and trained to fight as one, making them a formidable enemy.
A flower of apprehension bloomed in Kai's chest. As their little boat pulled away from the now sinking ship she could see tiny figures lined up, watching them become a speck in the distance. Once pursued by the Grufmir there was no escape. They had taken their ship for a reason and had clearly not been satisfied with what they had found. A rain of arrows dropped into the water, far short of their boat.
'They must have short bows. Don't know why they would even try, those couldn't even come close.' Falcon squinted at the ship, as if by sheer force of will he could see the bows the mercenaries held.
Once they had put enough distance between themselves and the wreckage to feel somewhat safe, the Druid rose, stretching.
'Daxon, take over,' he commanded. Obediently, the Monk took the oars.
The journey was quiet and long. Stomachs grumbled and finger trailed in salty water, longing for it to be fresh once their pouches had become dry. They took turns rowing, some progress was slow and with others working, fast. Rowing, Kai made the most headway, especially paired with Alduin. Though she was much smaller than him, their strength and endurance was nearly matched. She didn't slug around a great axe for the aesthetic. Her arms were defined, strong from the practice and experience she had with her preferred weapon, with all weapons. Even without an intimidating Teiflings appearance, Kai was menacing and although she stood only 5"6, a taller man wouldn't have picked a fight with her. When relaxed, her sharp jaw and narrow eyes softened and her black hair was pulled into a thick braid that brushed the base of her tail. To Teiflings she was considered subtly attractive; to humans she was a monster not to be reckoned with.
Despite making the most progress, Kai grimaced each time she took the oars, her palms splitting into new wounds from the rope burn she had received when fleeing the ship. The oars were old, pushing splinters into tender sores.
'Boats' Falcon alerted the group, the only one truly paying attention as he tracked the sky leading them back to land. His skills as a ranger had come in handy, even on water.
Wary but not alarmed, they rowed closer to the three boats. Kai cautiously raised the hood of her cloak to cover her horns. As they approached it was clear they were fishermen, who directed them in the direction of their village. Within another half hour of desperate paddling, they reached a small village and were greeted by what seemed to be the entire population.
Dropping into waist deep water they waded to shore to be met by thirty or so curious people. Men, women and children all welcomed them happily. All human, Kai noticed as she trailed behind a little. Not as if she didn't expect it from a tiny village, but it would be hardest for her to pass unnoticed here. Humans, she thought bitterly, were the least accepting of all races. In her experience, humans somehow fathomed that they were superior to certain others, despite having the shortest lifespans and simplest minds. Elves were the same, of course, but at least they had the good grace to despise all other races equally, rather that pick and choose. Humans strive to achieve the most, even if it means destroying others and their own kind to do so.
The community welcomed them cheerfully, immediately recognizing those among their group who would be useful to them. Daxon and Falcon were taken in first, a 'people person' and hunter. The Druid, Rainier he introduced himself as, and the Bard, Ellis followed them closely. Alduin and Kai let the others be swarmed and assessed, as the villagers decided what the newcomers could bring to their town. Trusting, Kai thought. Their group could have been anyone, criminals, murderers, crooks, all looking for something to take and these people welcomed them like they were recognized do-gooders. It wouldn't have surprised her if the entire group was at least one of those things, in fact she expected it.
While the adults ushered the others away, a small group of children approached Alduin, marveling at his white scales and monstrous shield. He humored them, letting them touch his tail and shield as they reveled in their first sight of a Dragonborn, hesitant but not afraid. Dragonborn were to be respected, not feared, is what they would have been taught, Kai thought as they flicked fearful sideways glances towards her. One, braver than the others, took a few tiny steps in her direction, eyes glued to her tail which dashed agitatedly in the sand. With her hood still drawn, Kai turned slightly to face the girl who had reached her, so mesmerized by her tail she apparently did not notice being watched. Removing her hood to reveal twisted horns and jet black eyes, she leant down to the child who finally noticed her.
'Boo.'
Squealing, the girl retreated, followed by the rest of the children. With a disapproving glare from Alduin, Kai headed to the village chuckling, eyes returning to white with violet irises, her usual façade.