This is a prompt for AshTheCreature, her idea, I'm simply the scribe :P
Chapter 1 – Karma is literally a bitch.
Ever feel like you're drifting through life, not doing anything or amounting to anything? Yeah, me too. I won't bore you with the details, but my life hasn't turned out the way I would like it. At all. I like to think that as a nice person, nice things would happen to me. I've tried to keep positive, but there comes a time when you get down. So far down you can't see the light any more. So in order to change my view on life, I decided to travel. Just my backpack and sleeping bag for company. Standing on my own two feet I thought. Well, it worked for a while, and I enjoyed the solitude. But now, now things have gone wrong. I am no longer drifting through life.
I'm just drifting. Literally.
Karma has my number and is hitting speed dial. The ship that was taking me to Asia has just gone down. I can feel myself becoming weaker as the water saps my strength. My company has sunk, which is a shame because I really liked that backpack. Look at me, even in the sight of imminent death I'm trying to make jokes. I can feel darkness pulling at my eyes as the burning in my lungs deepens. Seems like my time is up, which is a shame because I thought I would have so much more to give. I take one last deep breath as the cold water drags me under.
I feel cold water run over my body. The sun provides little heat as it touches my back. With a heave I cough and stutter, my lungs protesting as I try to breathe. It looks like I didn't drown after all. Which is annoying. Before you all get on your high horses, don't worry I'm not suicidal. Believe it or not. I just believe that Karma isn't finished with me yet, and I can't be bothered to go through what she is planning. Karma is definitely a woman, she's cruel and nasty. She's lovely to all the wrong people. I feel like she's taking a run up to hit me in my metaphorical balls. I try to move, the sand underneath me shifting as I try to lift my own weight. I know from my training that my first priorities are heat and shelter. But I feel as weak as a kitten, the water has beaten all fight out of me. I lay there trying to find the strength to move, when I hear voices. Men's voices. I'm a little worried. Not gonna lie.
Oh yeah, by the way, I'm a woman. Could you tell? Before I carry on, I'll give you the basics. My name is, Ashley Corvin Ryder. I have long black hair, which by the way is bloody untameable. The tips and part of the fringe are dyed red, due to my rebellious days as a teenager, but I liked the look so I've kept it. I also kept the snake-bite lip piercings that I had done as a spur of the moment thing. At the moment I have rings in, they're more attractive than the studs I think. I was made to take them out in training, but I still kept them afterwards.
The men walk near me chattering and one of them poke me with something sharp. I complain. Naturally.
'F'ck 'ff,' I say in a ladylike way.
They laugh to each other, I lift my head, I don't see much, just their silhouettes blocking the sun. The taller one nods to the other and leans down grabbing me under the arm. I swear and try to fight back but I'm overpowered by the other one also lifting me up. My hands are thrust together and a large pair of cuffs are tightly locked around my wrists pinching the skin. Oh great first day in where ever I am and I'm captured. Whatever happened to human compassion? I'm slung over one of their shoulders and removed from the beach. Of course I curse a blue streak, even attempt to kick one of them but to no avail. I'm just too tired and cold. They don't walk long, soon entering a rough encampment, to which I sneer. I could have have done better myself in this condition. Don't get me wrong, I'm terrified but I'm hoping that once I get warm and I've maybe had some food, I can try to make a runner. I'm roughly thrown to the ground next to a barrel. For the first time I can get a good look at the arse-holes who so kindly brought me here. Scruffy and dirty. With scarred faces and old age clothing. I can't see any guns, but I notice a bow and a couple of swords. I must have been swept up to a really backward part of the earth. The taller one who found me leans down to my level and pulls at my hair.
'What is your name?' He inquires. I'm not proud of what happens next, but I'm pissed off about being put in cuffs. I spit at him. He scowls and hits me across the mouth. I feel blood burst across my tongue. He laughs at me, which fuels my fire, the first chance I get he's getting a crotch shot. I scowl and spit blood onto the floor. 'She has spirit, we'll give her to some snobby Magister, no doubt she'll fetch a pretty coin in Tevinter.' He said to his crew who nodded and muttered between them. Now, I'm not smart, but I'm not thick. Whatever they've just said is nonsense, I have no idea where Tevinter is, or what a Magister is either, but they don't sound good. After about ten minutes food is thrust into my hand. It's a crude attempt at bread and cheese, but I wolf it down. I can feel my strength returning every moment. The fire is doing wonders to my skin and clothing. The tall one is looking at me with calculating eyes, he walks over and says something in a foreign language to his men. They chortle and grin in return. I sense that something isn't right when he touches his trousers.
Oh fuck no. They better not.
Turns out they do want to. Well as if I'm gonna let that happen. As he comes near I shuffle away in fear. When he steps over me, I let loose with a foot, hitting him square in the groin. He cries out in pain and as he doubles over I grab his shirt pulling him down as I get up. I use my knee and hit him in the nose. His face drips blood as I push him away. The rest of the group are clearly startled and I use that to my advantage and dart away. It's grown dark since I sat in camp and I begin to stumble over roots and rocks. My breathing becomes weak and laboured, I'm not up to full strength by far. I can hear them following me and adrenaline from my fear gives me a boost. I jump out the bushes onto a track almost falling over as I lose my balance. There's light ahead, I just had to hope that it wasn't more slavers.
Well Karma seems to have been on my side, they didn't look like slavers. A woman with red hair, a smaller man, almost like a dwarf and a tall, handsome looking man with a large stick across his back. I run toward them, making a hell of a noise. They turn to face me, the woman holding a lantern. Another tall man with blonde hair appears. They quickly walk toward me. I trip and stumble in the weak light, the slavers making a commotion behind me. I didn't get to introduce myself, instead a sharp, agonizing pain rips through my shoulder sending me forwards. I hit my head on a protruding rock, slicing across my eye and head, blackness swarms me for the second time that day. The last thing I see is fire, fire passing me overhead.