The Ambition of the Dreadlord Raveres
Part Three
In the two days since 'bedding' with the slave Mariana, Raveres' felt far more confident and sure of herself. She focused on learning the more intricate aspects of being part of a ship's crew, and the first mate began taking the far younger female Druchii under his wing.
The Captain, Dorath, had somewhat cooled down since the killing of Lieutenant Hathan, and ensured the respect and loyalty of the crew by promoting a well-liked and eager to please replacement.
To show that Raveres meant no disrespect to Dorath and had no intents on mutinying she purposefully developed a cold and impersonal attitude towards the men.
They feared her, and they distrusted her enough that the captain once again felt secure as the official and legitimate 'leader' of the expedition.
During the officer's mess Raveres expressed to Dorath that she acted brashly and that her youthful passions would not go so far again.
The two shared the captain's dry ruby port and no more was made of it.
Though Raveres was filling into her role and her current position much smoother since the raid, her only moments of awkwardness came when she'd pass Mariana on the lower decks.
The Druchii would surreptitiously avert her eyes and avoid looking at the human, or she'd loudly and scornfully verbally berate the slave, plainly indicating to her fellow Druchii her dislike for the woman.
Outside of these brief meetings Raveres hadn't any further interaction with the human.
But she had made an oath… and though she was sexually compromised and in a semi-trance state of desperation, she did invoke and swear in Khaine's name…
She'd sworn to Mariana that she'd buy her and make her, her personal property.
But since the human parted from the Druchii's cabin she hadn't received any kind of indication that Raveres had any intention of actually holding her side of their bargain.
In fact the slave was beginning to grow numb with fear and anxiety… She'd shown herself as still free in spirit, and thus painted a potential target on her back, a target that certain Druchii would feel nothing but pleasure in punishing the human for.
Though, despite her embarrassment and repression, and her cruel verbal treatment of the slave, inwardly, the pleasurable company of the human woman was never far from Raveres' thoughts.
But she'd just smoothed things over with Captain Dorath… She couldn't risk aggravating him now over a slave… could she?
…
The ship's runner knocked on the door to Raveres' cabin and she responded disinterestedly, "Yes… it's unlocked…"
She was re-reading a scroll her father had written.
In it he, and her mother, had included several lines of advice as well as an overall declaration that she was never to forget the honour of the house, the legacy she was heir to… the blood she bore, and so on…
It was dry and tedious, but in a small, strangely pleasant, way she enjoyed it as a reminder of home.
The next day would mark the longest she'd ever spent away from her home, and though she was a fully grown Druchii, she still couldn't help but feel a small twinge of melancholy at the vast distance now separating her from her childhood home.
The runner slowly opened the cabin's door and poked his youthful, scruffy, and narrow face into view.
"Officer's dinner is being laid out; 'Captain wants to know if you'll be attending…"
Raveres wrapped the scroll and nodded, "I will... What's the meal?"
The runner paused as he recalled, "Uh, it's… oh, it's preserved Cold One, with a freshly made fish sauce."
Raveres smirked, it was nothing like the food the family slaves cooked at home… but every few days the rations seemed to be better than usual.
She 'mhmmed' in affirmation and the runner saluted before leaving.
Raveres descended from her seat on her trunk to begin putting her boots back on.
Out of view she heard the door open wider and the sound of feet entering.
"What did you forget?" she asked.
Often the runner wasn't one to miscommunicate a message, but there had been a few times where he returned to correct himself after relaying information of some kind.
The lithe and shapely body of Mariana entered into the cabin and closed the door behind her.
The unusual sound drew Raveres' interest and she looked up.
Instantly her expression changed and her eyes nervously looked at the slave.
"Perhaps I should be asking you." the human said.
"Y-you…" Raveres stuttered in surprise.
"Why has it taken you so long to speak with me?"
The human took a few steps closer to the Druchii and dared to furrow her brow, "You gave me your word and a sacred oath…"
Raveres stood up to her full height; stepping forwards as she straightened her back and shoulders.
"Listen slave I will not be lectured to by the likes of you…"
Mariana's confidence left her rapidly. Raveres was not in a mood of desire. 'Perhaps I… I've made a mistake?' she thought anxiously.
"You come in here, and dare to…"
The Druchii's tone lost much of its edge; being so close to the human, and in a state of privacy, made Raveres' ire weaken.
She shook her head. "I don't need reminding of what I swore…"
She stepped past the slave and put her hand to the doors lock.
"I will fulfill any-"
Mariana's hand shot forwards and wrapped around the dark elf's arm interrupting her sentence, Raveres looked down with a raised eyebrow before turning to the slave.
Mariana's face was flush red and her eyes stared unblinking as moisture began to collect in their corners.
Her lip quivered.
She wanted to say something, anything. But nothing came out.
Raveres remained silent and composed and simply stared back.
Eventually Mariana found her voice and sternly asked;
"What does this Khaine do to blasphemers?"
Raveres' throat dried and her mouth pursed.
"What would happen if I told the captain you were disrespecting a… a blood oath, made in Khaine's name?"
"I…" Raveres began.
"I'll speak with Captain Dorath at dinner."
A tear fell down Mariana's cheek and she snarled, "I hope so… Because I'll be serving tonight…"
Raveres exhaled tensely and the human let go of her arm.
"Do you know what Prince's Crown is?"
Mariana shivered and stepped back from Raveres.
The elf shook her head.
Quietly the human let out a forced laugh, "Ask the captain at dinner… in addition to my purchase."
Mariana's hand went for the lock and she opened the cabin door.
Raveres somehow knew that the human had made a threat. But it was such a nervous and strange interaction that she didn't know what more to say, and was forced to walk through the doorway and to the dinner feeling like a fool.
…
"Ah, Raveres!" The First Mate announced.
He held his wooden cup of grog high and saluted the female Druchii as she entered.
The new Lieutenant likewise saluted her fearfully and then the captain motioned towards the free seat to his right.
In addition to her, three more members of the crew made up the 'officers' of the ship.
There was alcohol and jovial conversation over the course of the evening; and though it was utterly beneath her station and breeding Raveres had become used to the coarse and vulgar manners of the men.
But with Mariana so close, refilling the officer's cups and occasionally making laps around the table to show herself off to the Druchii men, Raveres remained quite uneasy.
Eventually Captain Dorath caught on and leaned towards his financier.
"In future I will make sure not to have the human serving while you're in attendance. We're… quite unused to having a female Druchii aboard and a noble one at that..."
One of the officers gestured towards Mariana and the human coyly played along, making the men laugh and loudly hoot and holler.
She sat on the man's lap and he loudly began boasting of his martial accomplishments during their most recent raid.
Raveres looked away from the display and shook her head before responding.
"That's not necessary…"
The captain raised a brow in surprise, "I've heard that she's displeased you? Some of the crew have told me that you've been scolding her?"
Raveres locked eyes with the human and immediately looked away.
"Yes… actually. On that point…"
Mariana tried to watch Raveres and the captain as long as she could before returning to playing courtesan for the men.
"I would actually like to purchase the human…"
Dorath sat back and scoffed in surprise, laughing dryly as he took up his cup of port.
"Well… What for? I mean… what use would you have?"
Raveres thought about how to play this… what strategy to go with and how to succeed.
"As you said… she's displeased me, an offence really; to my honour."
The captain became serious and his eyebrows furrowed in concern, "A-as my property please, allow me to punish her!"
Raveres felt relieved, 'he believes me! Perfect… he might just be willing then…'
Dorath continued; "I'm legally responsible, please Lady Raveres, we can have her scourged immediately, or at first light."
Shaking her head the female Druchii raised a hand.
"I appreciate the offer, but my family would never allow it… These men… They'd talk of it, and how quickly would you think it'd get back to my father? I would relish to hear her screams… nothing would sate my honour more."
The captain took a sip of his port.
"But… no one can know how she's insulted me… And I've been taking my time in bringing this to you; I wouldn't want a repeat of Lieutenant Hathan."
The captain nodded appreciatively. "I understand…"
Then he shook his head.
"My… I didn't realise all the considerations a noble such as you has to make!"
Raveres exhaled tensely and took a sip of her port.
"I've just recently gotten my Writ of Iron…" Dorath laughed, "Other than offending my sponsor I didn't see just how many rules came with being a noble of Naggarond…"
"So you understand my predicament?" Raveres asked.
"Aye…" the captain answered.
'Here it is…' the she-elf thought, 'give him your pitch.'
"I propose eighty percent of my share of the raid's treasure to compensate you for the slave, and the rest to be given to assuage the crew for the loss of their whore."
The captain put down his cup as he did the tentative math in his head.
He and Raveres had personally counted, divided, and inventoried the hoard of coins and bullion and he was happily considering the new division of wealth.
"I think that's more than fair…"
Raveres nodded curtly, hiding her reaction. She took up her cup and held it aloft for the captain to clink his against.
"We're agreed?" she asked.
"Aye, we're agreed."
Without any indication of it, Raveres was letting out the largest sigh of relief she'd had in a long while.
She'd succeeded, somewhat, and her stupid risking of Khaine's wrath was postponed for a few days more.
…
After dinner Captain Dorath signed his tattered and water-damaged proof of ownership over to Raveres and the two drafted a bill of sale for the slave, signed by both parties.
After the men enjoyed the sight of her for a few moments more the captain formally ended the meal and the officers all saluted before retiring for the evening.
Dorath approached Mariana and she convincingly played dumb, even going so far as to drop to her knees and beg the captain to remain his and the ships', anything but Raveres' property.
Eventually he frustratingly pushed her off his leg and bitterly announced, "The sale is done! And with it I'll be able to buy replacements, humans who know their place!"
Raveres walked beside the captain and grabbed Mariana by the neck.
Watching the force with which the female Druchii proceeded to drag her out of the room the captain couldn't help but entertain a sadistic smile at how Raveres intended to punish the insolent human.
"May her screams satisfy your insult, Lady Raveres!"
The captain shook his head and thought of the highly inflated price Raveres, willingly, paid for the sake of her 'honour'.
'These nobles…' he mused, 'if they got rid of their fixation on honour they'd probably be more successful!'
…
When Raveres was finally in the security and privacy of her small cabin she let go of the human's neck and locked her door.
Turning quickly around she exhaled and felt a shiver up her spine before looking at the groaning human.
"There! I've," she reached her hand towards her belt and pulled the folded parchment out from the leather strap. "I've bought you."
Throwing the piece of parchment to the slave Mariana excitedly grabbed the document reverently.
Unfolding the parchment carefully the human stared at the script on the page.
Raveres walked towards her hammock, "You can read?" she asked surprised.
Mariana's expression began to drop as she looked up.
"No…"
Raveres sneered and reached her hand back to grab it from the human's hands.
In a rare display of mercy the Druchii looked over the document and then pointed to the third name on the bottom.
Below her and the captain's signatures, the captain had written Mariana's name, making the transfer and sale of property legal by Druchii custom.
Though their legal precedents and 'courts' were subject to much manipulation and arbitrary rulings, when it came to their slavery the Druchii were unbelievably meticulous and stringent.
"This is your name…"
Mariana's eyes widened as she followed the curves of the Druchii script.
'My name…' she repeated mentally.
Folding the document Raveres turned away and descended to open her trunk. Throwing the document inside she huffed and tried to relax.
Mariana stood and darted behind the elf, wrapping her arms around Raveres' waist while pressing her face into the woman's back. Tightly the Estalian hugged her new master in gratitude.
'I'm actually that much closer to freedom!'
Raveres' eyes opened wide at the sudden assault and quickly tried to pull the slave's hands off of her.
"Thank you…" Mariana meekly whispered. "Thank you so much…"
Raveres didn't know how to react but she stood awkwardly as the human continued to cling to her.
"Unhand me…" the elf said sternly.
Mariana let go and stepped back, rubbing her nose and nodding. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Ignoring the human and the situation Raveres stepped back to her hammock.
She was so flustered herself she didn't know what to do now, except hope that sleep would provide her an answer.
Mariana quickly descended to her knees and began unclipping Raveres' boots.
Wordlessly the Druchii assented and her expression and demeanour softened.
"You may collect your things and bring them here after finishing."
Mariana nodded gratefully and after Raveres was undressed and at rest in her hammock the human left. Quietly stealing away her few possessions from where she'd hidden them in the ship's kitchen.
Though she was consumed with optimism a few nagging doubts kept at her for hours in the darkness, until finally sleep came to her.
Curled under a thin blanket the human slept on her bedroll below her swaying master.
…
In the early twilight of the morning Raveres awoke to the sound of her newly acquired slave stirring beneath her.
She rubbed her eyes and looked towards the cabin's porthole to see very dim light barely illuminating the cabin.
Stretching the elf stared upwards at the boards making up the ceiling as the vigour of sleep began to wane.
"Where do you come from?" she asked.
Mariana stirred again and quietly groaned. She too was awake.
Raveres repeated the question and waited. Eventually the human responded, her voice somewhat melancholic.
"My country lies across the sea… I was born in the city of Magritta."
Raveres listened and tilted her head before rising out of her hammock.
Setting her feet down over the side of the 'bed' the Druchii exited and turned to look at her slave, slowly sitting to the wooden floor as she listened.
"There it is warm almost all year round."
Raveres made no change in her expression, she merely continued to listen.
Mariana closed her eyes as she recollected.
"The city is like… a great horseshoe, built around a deep-water bay… Ships are constantly coming and going. From all corners of the world…"
Raveres followed quickly with another question, "Tell me how you came to be on this ship."
Mariana raised a thick eyebrow, somewhat off put by the strange change in the Druchii's demeanour.
"Well, I was bought by a captain… from Araby. He sailed back to his country and I was then sold to a brothel."
"I worked there for a few years… and then I was eventually sold to your Druchii captain…"
The human smirked as she recalled the finer points of her journey but she kept them to herself.
Raveres leaned forwards and cupped her chin in her hand as she watched the woman's chest move up and down as she breathed.
"We're going to be putting into port at the first city we see."
The Estalian looked back at her master and piqued up.
"I don't know what the city will be… I don't know whether it will be friendly to a woman from Estalia or not."
Raveres sighed and began to rise.
"But when we do I will burn the slave register, and you will be free."
Mariana's face was one of disbelief.
"I don't imagine I will ever see you again."
The human risked a smirk and responded, "I don't imagine you will."
Raveres face was unimpressed, and her voice was deeper.
"Take off your clothes…"
Marina's smirk evapourated. Until she got off the boat she was still Raveres' property…
The Druchii stood and picked up her belt from beside her trunk.
"Before we do depart from one another… I will be rectifying something. And giving you a gift to remember me by…"
Mariana was pulling her tunic off when she finally saw what Raveres was doing.
Straightening the belt out in her hands she snapped it taut before whipping it to her side.
The human's eyes opened widely as her heart quickly began increasing in pace.
"But… w-what you s-swore!" she stuttered.
Raveres raised an eyebrow and smiled sadistically, "Swore?"
She laughed eerily, "I swore to free you. And I did so in a… vulnerable state. A mistake I will not be repeating."
She lowered to a knee.
"I said nothing about not hurting you."
Mariana backed up from her 'master' and was now against the wall under Raveres' hammock, her bottom jaw opened slightly in fear.
"Now, strip."
…
The newly minted Lieutenant had morning watch and he stood at the bow of the Witches Wail eyeing the horizon as the sun began to creep over the edge of the world. The night had been warm and as a result there were clouds of fog rolling across the water.
Some spots were thin, but others were frightfully thick.
They had just sailed through a thicker patch and now were in a large clearing between lighter patches of the smoke-like fog.
Above him in the foremast crow's-nest the sentry yelled over the quiet ambience of the morning: "Ship! Starboard bow a-hoy!"
The lieutenant looked up to see the sentry pointing.
Following his finger the lieutenant drew his spyglass and looked afield.
Amongst the rolling clouds of grey fog he saw a vague shape disappear between two intersecting walls of the smoke.
'Those may have been sails…' he thought.
"What kind of ship was it?!" he called up to the sentry.
"Look'd a frigate sir!"
The lieutenant furrowed his brow and searched the area again with his spyglass.
Beside him the First Mate stepped along the deck and opened his own spyglass.
"Frigate he says?"
The lieutenant confirmed, "Aye."
"Did you see it?" the mate asked.
"No… I saw sails, but it moved too fast for me to get a good enough look…"
The mate peeled his eyes and scanned towards their front.
"I don't like this fog…" he smelt through his nostrils deeply, "I smell bloody magic at work…"
The lieutenant looked at the mate concerned.
"Beat to quarter's lieutenant."
"Aye-aye sir!" saluting the mate the lieutenant ran to the ship's bell and began ringing in the ships' battle signal.
The trumpeter on deck loudly began a reveille.
Loud groans and shouts began erupting as the crew began waking up and making the ship ready for combat.
Below deck Captain Dorath erupted out of his hammock and rushed from his cabin.
The ship's few gun crews clumsily made their weapons ready, and Quartermaster Volish began issuing darkshard repeaters, as well as swords and daggers to the men. Quickly the crew were all armed and hastily running to their battle positions.
When the captain reached the top deck he announced his arrival, yelling to the mate and lieutenant standing to the starboard side of the bow, "Report!"
The mate immediately began explaining the situation and the captain began searching as best he could through the fog a head of them.
…
Mariana groaned in discomfort as Raveres' belt collided across her bare buttocks.
The hitting wasn't that painful at first, but as Raveres continued she began adding extra force behind her blows.
The stinging, pulsing, sensation in her skin began to climb in severity.
Raising the belt behind her shoulder Raveres brought it down as hard as she could.
The loud snap of the leather against Mariana's skin made the woman cry out in pain and writhe to the side attempting to cover the area with her hands and escape the sadism of the dark elf.
With a perverted smile the Druchii watched as the human's skin reddened and enflamed as her battering began leaving thin lines across the two smooth cheeks.
Extending her empty left hand Raveres caressed and ran her fingers along the deep red hits and invisible bruises that she had no doubt made in the human's skin.
Mariana shut her eyes and a tear fell involuntarily from the stinging pain.
"A-are you… d-done milady?" she asked. Hoping her voice and her words were respectful enough to not draw any additional ire.
With a smirk the Druchii withdrew her hand from the humans' flesh and nodded.
"I believe I am. But there remains one more thing I desire…"
Mariana remained still and silent as she frightfully awaited Raveres' words.
The ships' trumpeter loudly began playing and Raveres' expression changed as she snarled, "What?!"
Outside the cabin the formerly quiet and sleeping ship began to erupt with life.
The sound of shouts, boots on wood, and the rolling of carronades and cannons ruined the tranquility of her beating.
Raveres looked down at Mariana, and the humans face was one of confusion as well.
"W-what's happening?" she asked tentatively.
Through the door they seemingly received their answer; a muffled voice began shouting down the wooden hallway; "Beat to quarters! Every man at his station!"
Raveres narrowed her eyes at the door and groaned with anger.
A loud knock on the wooden barrier was then followed by a clearer voice: "My Lady! Captain says all hands prepare, you're wanted at the bow."
Standing up from Mariana the Druchii responded.
"Aye, I'll be there." Before the voice darted away she quickly added, "What's happened?"
The voice coughed and cleared its throat as it answered, "Sentries spotted a ship close by hiding in the fog; the First mate and Lieutenant say it's a frigate."
"Tell them I'm on my way…"
The voice departed with loud footsteps and Raveres turned back to her human slave.
"Get up." she ordered sternly.
Mariana struggled to her feet and her blanket fell from her calves, the Estalian was now nude and her curves stood exposed in the growing morning light.
"Dress me."
…
Though she looked at her benefactor in a completely different light Mariana had to remember that despite what had transpired between her and Raveres, the Druchii was till just that: a Druchii.
There wasn't any certainty to be had on future interactions between her and her 'temporary' master. But despite this she knew that the she-elf was still going to hold up her end of the deal.
Just how much more sadism and mental anguish she'd experience until then would remain to be seen though.
…
With the attendance of the human Raveres stripped out of her bedclothes and put on simple day-clothes.
The human helped tighten the elf's cuirass, her right hand gauntlet, and fixed her sword and sheath to her belt.
The last things Raveres had the human do were to help comb and tie back her long, white, hair into a tall ponytail. As the human did that the Druchii applied a dark smudge around her eyes, the effect was a Druchii warrior staple; intimidation and allure in equal measure.
War-paint was something that Raveres longed to be able to wear, but until leaving home, she'd never been able to except in secret in her personal chambers.
When she finished the she-elf turned towards her cabin door and Mariana stood with her hands to her chest somewhat covering herself.
"Come here…" the Druchii ordered, her voice was smooth again and the Estalian reluctantly complied.
Drawing her clean dagger Raveres' free left hand snapped forwards and grabbed Mariana's neck.
The human's eyes regarded the blade as she cringed and tried to fight the elf's grip.
"No!" she tried to yell.
"Silence." The Druchii responded loudly.
Mariana quieted and held her tongue, terrified.
Bringing the edge of the blade over the human's cheek Raveres ran the tip of the steel down the side of the human's face and Mariana shut her eyes as she whimpered in pain.
With hardly any pressure the dagger cut through her skin and warm red blood quickly oozed from the short, thin, fissure created in her flesh.
Raveres licked the side of the blade before replacing the dagger in its sheath. Punctuating the action she let go of the human's neck with her ungloved left hand.
Running her left thumb up the human's wound she collected some of the warm blood and pulled her amulet of Khaine up from around her neck with her right hand.
Stepping away from the slave she began rubbing the liquid onto the previously clean charm.
As soon as she was free of her master's grip Mariana brought a hand to her face and shuddered, whimpering as she backed away from Raveres and lowered to the floor.
With a smirk the Druchii finished anointing her talisman and let it fall from her hands to clang against the metal of her cuirass.
"You should be grateful…"
Raveres took the door's handle in her grasp and opened the wooden barrier.
"More superstitious Druchii would have slit your throat or cut off a limb to assure their victory."
Mariana gulped nervously as she felt her hand become slick against her face.
A surge of brave defiance made her find her voice, "Would you have? If you didn't make your oath?"
Raveres took a step through the open doorway and smiled.
"Wouldn't you like to know…"
…
"Lady Raveres! Took you long enough!"
The captain was along the ship's port side as the expedition's financier made her way to the group of officers.
The deck was bustling with crew as they stood ready; crossbows, swords, and other weapons waiting for anything.
"What's this I hear: frigate sighted?"
The captain nodded, "Aye, Lieutenant?"
The fresh officer nodded, "We saw sails and a hull a few times getting closer to us through the fog! We've adjusted our course eastward but we keep seeing the blighter!"
The mate handed Raveres his spyglass and pointed through the clouds above the waves to the left of the ship.
"There…" he whispered.
Between the two Raveres had found a keen and helpful tutor, and she softened whenever she heard the mate's voice.
Bringing the glass to her right eye she searched in the direction the mate indicated as the captain and lieutenant began talking.
Through the thinning clouds of fog Raveres saw a sudden flurry of light.
"What are those lights?" she asked quickly.
The mate's brow raised and the other officers' faces dropped.
"Hit the deck!"
"All hands down! Hit the deck!"
Raveres' face became bewildered as she took the glass away from her eye.
The mate pushed his hand to her shoulder and forced her down as he screamed, "Incoming cannon shot!"
Then she heard it.
It was like the loudest drums on the festival of Death Night, and in an uncoordinated series of 'booms' each explosion was followed by another and another, each overtaking and covering the previous.
The flurry of booms was immediately followed by 'whooshing' through the air.
The hostile cannon balls collided with the Witches Wail and began doing their foul damage.
Timbers split and splintered as members of the Druchii crew screamed and became injured by the flying shrapnel of wood shards from the ship, or if they'd be directly hit by the lethal iron balls ripping through the air.
"Bring us about! Let battle be joined!" the captain roared.
The deck erupted as the men jumped to their feet.
The helmsman began turning the wheel rapidly to the portside and the ballistae crew selected fire-bomb bolts from their munitions crate.
The ship presented itself to its still hidden enemy and the crew along the rigging began taking in the mainsails.
Raveres, the mate, and the lieutenant searched the fog for the hostile ship and still could not see it.
The ship's cannon-smoke mixed with the unnatural fog and finally the Druchii saw their enemy.
The suspicion that Raveres and the others had was proven correct and the fog rapidly lifted as a loud magical voice boomed across the water.
"It was a spell!" Raveres roared.
The captain sneered and turned to his men, "When battle is joined I will give one hundred gold pieces to the Druchii rat that brings me that wizards head!"
The men cheered in response as the ship came about.
Their foe was flying a yellow flag and plain sails.
It appeared to be a galleon of some sort, but the ship was unnaturally fast for its size.
The Druchii ballistae began letting fly their bolts towards the target and the few cannon below deck began firing hastily.
The barrage was uncoordinated and quickly the men began firing at will.
Raveres returned the spyglass to the mate and the Captain waved the officers to follow him as he walked to the quarterdeck.
"They're pirates I'm certain! Their yellow flag is not unknown to me."
Taking position on the quarterdeck and observing the motions of his crew the captain took hold of the railing and continued,
"First mate you have command of the deck! Ready our butchers for boarding!"
The mate nodded and drew his sword, "Aye-aye!"
"These are pirates of Sartosa; they're human scum who raid without thinking…" he grinned, "Sheep to the slaughter!"
Raveres smirked but her expression and confidence faltered when she saw the captain's smile droop somewhat.
"I've never known them to use magic like this before…"
Raveres furrowed her brow and was about to ask a question when the mate on the main deck shouted, "Darkshards fire at will! They're closing the distance!"
To port the enemy galleon was bringing itself alongside of the Druchii vessel and the main deck showed the scurrying human crew armed with black powder weapons taking aim.
The Druchii crossbow repeaters began firing and sending their hissing bolts towards the humans and Raveres could hear their human counterparts issuing similar orders in the own tongue, though the pirate's volley was far louder than the dark elves'.
Smoke erupted as fire and explosions spewed from the musket barrels.
Druchii crewmen fell clutching at sudden wounds as Raveres' eyes widened.
She'd never seen black powder weapons truly at work before.
Her ears rang with the noise of the guns' rapport and she couldn't help but flinch reactively.
"Raveres! We need to take the fight to their deck, close the distance and use our skill with blades to even the odds."
She nodded at the captains' words.
"I'll collect our men from below deck and lead the second wave, you will take charge and follow the mate as he crosses the gap and makes the first advance."
"Aye!"
Drawing her sword she leapt over the railing of the quarter deck avoiding the bodies of the writhing or dead Druchii she came to the mate near the port rail.
The human ship was now sending hooks and ropes over to land and pull the Witches Wail closer.
Small bridges and platforms began appearing and laying over the galleon's rails.
"Mate! We're to lead a counter attack to their deck!"
The older Druchii grunted and took up a dead crewman's darkshard thrower.
Firing the last bolts in the repeater he nodded and yelled to his men, "We're taking the fight to them! Cross their bridges and put the lambs to the slaughter!"
The men who heard him yelled and drew their steel.
Throwing the repeater to his feet the mate re-drew his sword and growled as he looked at the bridges.
Humans in varying costume and dress began sprinting across their thin precarious bridges.
With a flurry and yell the mate ran past Raveres and skewered the first human to successfully cross.
Melee had now been officially joined.
Raveres clutched her blade tensely and felt her breath slow as she remained steady.
Many of the crew began following the first mate and they struggled to mount the human's bridges.
It became increasingly clear that there were more humans aboard the galleon than Druchii aboard the frigate.
As the mate dueled with a cutlass wielding human along the bridge he was forced backwards off the thin wooden platform.
Falling from the railing the human leapt after the mate and would have impaled the defenceless and winded Druchii, but like the snap of a viper Raveres stepped forwards in a lunge and easily stabbed the tip of her blade through the humans' loose blouse and into his chest.
Wailing loudly the bearded and hairy human stepped backwards and stopped as he hit the ship's railing.
With a scream and a kick Raveres sent him flying overboard as she withdrew her blade from his flesh.
The mate hopped to his feet and nodded appreciatively before turning towards the onslaught of human pirates.
…
There was no opportunity to mount a counter-attack and take the fight to the galleon.
There were far too many humans, and the Druchii were locked in an intense fight on their main deck.
The volleys of musket fire reduced in frequency for fear of hitting their own men and instead the shots were being made sparingly by far more accurate sharpshooters.
In response the Druchii darkshards who were not yet engaged in melee tried to pinpoint and respond to the muzzle flashes but for all their efforts when a musketeer was hit with a bolt a comrade would pop over the railing with a freshly loaded weapon in response.
Raveres had been forced to back up towards the quarterdeck while the mate and the crew on the other half of the ship were being forced to the fore of the vessel.
The human fighters had succeeded in taking the belly of the ship's deck and now formed two well practised lines with a stream of reinforcements continuing to leap from their ship.
The Druchii aboard the deck received no such support from below and the humans began descending the stairs into the lower decks of the ship.
"Send them to Mathlann!" Raveres shouted.
The men fighting along her side cheered in agreement as they maintained their line against the human's advance.
Tensely Raveres disengaged and stepped backwards as an eager crewman who'd shed his shirt and purposefully carved the mark of Khaine into his flesh replaced her position.
Enjoying the reprieve Raveres shouted encouragement to her men as concern began to cloud her mind; 'Morale will be the only true factor here… if we cannot keep our spirit then we are finished! These fools are jeopardising my legacy!'
Rage began to mount in Raveres' chest as she considered the very real implications should they lose this fight… With renewed vigour she screamed over the din of arms to 'her' men,
"Push this afterbirth-scum back to their rotting hulk!" The men yelled in response and made and effort to show their resolve.
Raveres' thoughts raced… 'How can I better motivate them?! We're losing!'
"Khaine is watching you fools! Keep at it!"
The fighting was becoming bloodier and more brutal as the free space on the deck diminished.
Taking a sharp breath and wiping her mouth with her left hand Raveres took a step behind a crewman who was successfully parrying and forcing back his opponent.
"Riposte!" she encouraged. The Druchii crewman slipped his blade under the humans and drove it through the man's belly.
"Yes!" Raveres cried, "Spill his blood! Send him howling into death!"
The men became encouraged with Raveres' faux religious language.
To them she took on the role of a pseudo Death Hag. And though she wasn't, the men fought as if they were accompanied by a genuine bride of Khaine and subconsciously they knew they didn't want to disappoint or show a lack of faithful commitment to such a representative of their principal god.
The crew were not the only ones to have noticed Raveres' importance, a colourfully dressed human with a black powder pistol in one hand and a rapier in the other leapt out of the mass of fighting and towards Raveres.
She brought her blade up as a reflex but was hit in the chest nonetheless.
The man fired his pistol just a few feet away from her and she loudly groaned in pain as she felt the hard impact into her chest.
She stumbled backwards and several Druchii immediately jumped in front of her and the human.
Two men grabbed her before she could fall and they helped keep Raveres standing.
Loudly announcing her pain she looked down to regard her cuirass.
The lead ball projectile was lodged into the metal at the centre of a crater-dent.
She laughed as she saw the 'wound' and the men stared at her with concern, "Are you alright?!" They asked almost in unison.
"Let me at the fool!" She roared in response. The yelled encouragingly and as she moved out of the men's hands Raveres committed a fleche as she aimed at her would-be killer.
The man dropped his empty pistol and performed an elaborate and well-practised parry.
Raveres' confidence melted as she was forced to counter his swift riposte, 'He's a duelist!'
The Druchii and the human began exchanging an elaborate and intricate dance of moves.
Raveres forcefully pushed Druchii on her sides out of the way as necessity demanded and the man did the same to his fellows.
The noise of the melee around them began to quiet somewhat as the humans and Druchii previously engaged in a fight on the aft of the ship began watching the duel.
Dripping with sweat and brutishly leaping from side to side avoiding the human's strikes Raveres began punctuating her movements with a loud growl, or guttural roar.
The humans to the fore of the ship had successfully driven the Druchii crew into the edge of the bow and loudly held them at swords' length.
The humans who had descended to the lower deck likewise began to re-appear from the hold, swords sheathed and faces marred with blood and sweat.
Eventually the sound of musket shot stopped and the loudest noises were that of Raveres and the human duelist locked in combat.
Though she was a well-practised Druchii swordswoman and had been tutored all her life by professional bladesmen she was still in a lower class than the human facing her.
He quickly picked up on this and began toying with her.
Deliberately moving his sword and snapping strikes in such a way as to tire her out.
Sweat ran down her face and caused her black eyeshadow to run, the effect made the human duelist smirk and speak while they fought.
Though it was a foreign tongue Raveres knew he had insulted her and hastily spat a response.
"Focus on the fighting you jumped up peasant!"
The man pursed his lips and furrowed his brow as if he understood the insult.
Lunging to Raveres' side he easily cut along the bicep of her sword arm.
She cringed and let out a shrill groan.
Taking a wide step to her side she now unwittingly presented her back to some of the human pirates standing, panting, along the edge of the port side.
The human likewise now had his back to some Druchii sailors doing the same.
The two sides began shouting various words of encouragement, or shots of venom towards one another as Raveres and the human kept at their fight.
Seeing an opening Raveres made a rookie mistake and lunged farther than she should have, overextending her arm the human easily parried her blade downwards towards the deck and stepped to her side reaching for and taking her right forearm in his left hand.
The Druchii let out a sharp inhale… 'I-it's over.'
Raveres eyes widened as she saw what was about to happen.
'What?! N-no! It can't end like this!"
The man brought the edge of his rapier to rest across the she-elf's neck and she began panting as her heart thundered.
Sweat glistened on her skin and she looked into the human's smiling face with terror.
The human crew cheered and aimed reloaded pistols and muskets at the exhausted and demoralised Druchii.
Raveres' lip and chin shook as she waited the coming slice of her throat.
'I'm dead… Raveres a seventh-born child and fifth-born daughter… slaughtered like chattel! Y-you fool… you utter and complete fucking fool…'
The man looked away from Raveres' face and yelled an order to the humans. They responded and began moving, some restarting their fight with the Druchii while others began moving out of the she-elf's peripherals.
In heavily accented Druhir, the man issued Raveres an order.
"Drop your blade."
His voice was lyrical and deep.
But stubbornly Raveres refused.
He furrowed a brow and pressed his blade into her flesh; forcing her to move her chin upwards and make her neck even more vulnerable.
"You have fought valiantly…" he paused and cleared his throat searching for his words in Druhir.
"Your honour has been successfully defended."
Raveres' lip moved into a sneer as she maintained her awkward stance, "What do you know of my honour?"
The man smiled, perplexed. "Are you the king of this vessel?"
Raveres eyes narrowed, the human eventually noticed his blunder and shook his head as he chuckled.
"I apologise my lady, but my Druchii is not as good as my other tongues. We seldom join battle with the shadow-elf kind."
"My captain is down below…" she responded through gritted teeth.
The human shouted in his native language to one of his fellow crewman and eventually another human walked into Raveres' peripheral view, but she dared not take her eyes off her potential executioner.
The man pursed his lips in disappointment and clicked his tongue.
"Is this your captain?" he asked.
Raveres dared a look to her side.
The human crewman held Dorath's decapitated head by his hair.
Raveres eyes widened and she felt her heart sink.
Immediately her muscles felt tighter, her lungs smaller, and her legs and chest burned with pain.
She finally noticed how strained and exhausted the fighting had made her and the knowledge that Dorath was dead did not fill her with hope.
The human waved the grotesque trophy away and the two stared at each other again.
"If it is any… consolation… My men tell me he fought beautifully."
Raveres wanted to spit; she writhed under the rapier's cold touch and felt a scream build in her head.
"Who now is in command?"
Raveres' brow relaxed as she realised… it was her.
The mission… the ship… the men, they were now hers… and absolutely not in a fashion she had desired such a command.
The man clicked his tongue and smiled, "I see…"
He looked Raveres over from head to toe and then bowed his head slightly.
"Then perhaps as one captain to another we might share introductions?"
Raveres held her lips tightly shut as the man straightened his back and puffed out his chest proudly.
"I am! Annio-Luis Philipe de Bilbali!"
He bowed his head respectfully and lightened his grip from Raveres' blade hand. There wasn't any need to keep holding it: She was unable to move and they both knew it.
Placing his hand to his chest he performed a flourish to accompany his name.
"I am a captain, a renegade, a pirate, a sword-dancer, master duelist, and… gentleman…"
He smiled and extended his left hand to Raveres' chin.
The elf cringed and tried to avoid the touch but he stopped before actually contacting her skin.
"Which is why I shot you my lady! I had hoped you'd receive a clean and swift death but now I am glad your armour was as strong as it was!"
Raveres remained silent.
"I've not fenced with someone as talented as you in a long time, and a woman too!"
He looked over Raveres again approvingly, as his men finished off the resisting Druchii and began pushing the crew around.
"I must tell you, you have a most skillful hand with the blade… But,"
He 'tuck-tuck-tucked' with his tongue against his teeth disapprovingly, "you're far too brutish in your movements! That may work on the land, but here? On the seas you must flow with the tide."
Raveres shook with impotent anger, not only was she defeated and remained on display in a position of embarrassing failure, but now she was being lectured to, like a child, by a human.
"My hand is beginning to tire…" he announced comically, "would you mind dropping your weapon?"
Raveres lowly responded, "No…"
"Ah! She speaks!"
Raveres wanted to roll her eyes but she maintained her angry stare.
"So… my shadow-elf lady-captain… I have given you my name? What might yours be?"
Spitefully she began to respond, "I am a daughter of the Patriarch Titos-"
He shook his head and smiled interrupting her, "Your name, I care not for your father's."
She bit her tongue and begrudgingly restarted, "I am Raveres Morthai of house Naguii."
"Raveres de' Naguii?" he repeated, "I am honoured to meet a noble lady such as your self… Though I hope you may forgive me."
With a quick flurry his legs moved and tripped her as he smacked her blade with his and grabbed her hilt with his left hand.
Falling to the deck Raveres loudly grumbled, "You greasy peasant!"
The man took her sword in his hand and threw it to one of his men.
Then he pressed the tip of his blade to her throat and kept her to the floor.
The motion left a small nick along her pale skin and a few drops of her dark blood oozed through the tiny cut.
"I apologised Lady Naguii! But you were not complying with my request…" His voice sounded pained and lyrical.
"Now! As I said you, and your men, fought bravely! But they have lost… and we will fairly take your cargo."
He lowered to a knee, "What is it your ship bears?"
Raveres held her tongue and instead pushed herself into a sitting position.
The man allowed her to rise, but he kept his blade still when he wanted her to stop moving.
"I understand your reluctance… but I must avow your crew's fate rests in the balance…"
A fellow human yelled to Annio and he began smiling.
"Looks like my men have found your treasure!"
He raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "But they tell me your holds are mostly empty? Perhaps we caught you on your way to a destination rather than from one, no?"
Raveres exhaled heavily as she pictured the humans stealing the ships' chests full of elven gold and plunder.
"Ah… say no more… A woman's sigh speaks volumes."
The Druchii's expression soured and she began to protest, "I didn't sigh! You speak nothing but cack like a fishmonger's wife, or a lying merchant!"
A few Druchii laughed at her insult but captain Annio lowered in faux embarrassment, "My lady… you wound me."
He extended a hand towards her cheek and Raveres angrily batted it away, much to the amusement of the humans.
Annio laughed, "Alas! If only we had met at a ball… I've bedded she-elves before you know?"
Some Druchii hissed at his insinuation.
He removed his blade from Raveres' neck and stood up. He laughed loudly, "Afterwards, effeminate elf-cock could never satisfy them again!"
Several Druchii crew growled and broke out in futile melee with some humans again.
Raveres sneered as rage began to build in her chest.
'I don't care if he runs me through… I will kill that man… I will KILL that man!'
Annio smirked as he watched her face.
"My lady… if only eyes could wound."
He flicked his sword and performed a graceful flourish before sheathing it.
Reaching her right hand to her side Raveres drew her dagger and hastily jumped to her feet.
With a loud yell she leveled the weapon and charged the human.
The man was cool, calm, and had expected the attack. Easily he avoided the weapon and used Raveres' momentum against herself.
Taking her arm and tripping her again Raveres faltered and flew headfirst into the wooden railing behind Annio.
Her eyes fluttered and she shook at the shock of the fall and the immediate pain from the collision.
Disarmed yet again, and having been shamed twice, Raveres writhed on the wooden floor in embarrassing pain as her ego began chanting for her suicide.
Captain Annio kept Raveres' dagger and pointed to his men, switching to his native Estalian he announced; "Decimato!"
The humans looked at the Druchii crew and a merciless slaughter commenced; the humans let fly a volley of musket fire and the Druchii in response lashed out with as best a defence as the morale-broken crew could muster.
At Annio's feet, bleeding from her forehead and ringing from the concussion-inducing hit Raveres tried crawling on the floor as she coughed and sputtered.
Annio descended and took hold of her hair. Kicking her side he flipped her over and delivered a strong punch to the she-elf's face.
Raveres tried responding with her own fists but her vision shook from side to side and her uncoordinated hands missed Annio and instead grabbed hold of his shirt.
The human easily knocked her hands off his clothing and stood up.
Panting loudly Raveres wasn't about to give in just yet… she had to continue.
She'd been shamed far too publicly to die this way…
"I… must…" she thought aloud.
Rolling back onto her front she tried punching towards Annio's legs and the human danced out of reach.
Seeing a broken Druchii blade within arms' reach Raveres tried as best she could to grab the weapon.
As soon as her fingers wrapped around the hilt Annio issued a sigh and brought his boot down on her gauntlet covered hand.
At first the armour stifled his weight, but he then brought his leg up and down heavily until Raveres cried out and relinquished her grip.
'This is it… just… kill me…'
Rolling the shamed and tired Druchii onto her back once more she clutched at her injured hand with her left and quietly began voicing her thoughts; "Kill me… kill me y-you foul scum…"
Annio raised a brow and lowered to listen to her weak voice over the noise of the resumed battle.
"K-kill me..." she weakly repeated.
In a very short amount of time Raveres went from haughty and bloodthirsty to painfully aware of her mortality…
The shame of her and the mission's failure was so great her mind had emptied itself and death was all she could focus on…
She was filled with rage yes, but… her desire for redemptive suicide or merciful slaughter was far greater.
Her black makeup ran from her eyes as she began thinking about how stupidly foolish she'd been…
'Of course your mission was to fail… you always were the weak link…'
Her thoughts began to take on the voices of her childhood and teenage detractors, demons of another sort which no matter what she had done, or who she brutalised they would never let her think she was any good at anything.
'Raveres… she lacks the conviction necessary!'
'Oh there's Lady Raveres of the Naguii… lowest of her sisters… I hear she fancies human slaves!'
'Ha! I heard her father castrated their male slaves for fear of her insatiable appetite and a possible half-breed bastard!'
The lies, the gossip, the horrible venom coated words of her fellow Naggarothi each felt like a stone cast at her heart, and it was pushing her over the edge…
She issued a plea and the captain Annio's face recoiled in surprise.
"Please, kill me…"
Her voice was meek and low, her eyes wept but her mouth and body remained, poorly, stoic.
Annio leaned closely to her face, but she didn't recoil.
She didn't seem fazed and instead quietly looked back at the human.
He took her head in his hands and brought his tanned and moustached face towards hers.
Raveres was so low that she couldn't muster enough against her resignation to death to try and fight back.
Annio-Luis Philipe de Bilbali became the first human man and first man in general to kiss Raveres Naguii.
As if she couldn't feel worse revulsion and disgust became the strongest things she felt next to her shame and humiliation.
Leaning away from her he laughed and called to his men in Estalian.
"I told them it was true, Druchii do taste like snowberries!"
Raveres' mouth curled and she futilely tried to look to the starboard side of the ship.
Defeated with the greatest feeling of disappointment Raveres' shuddered and let out a quiet sob; in the distance there stood the tops of green trees and the white caps of waves against the shoreline.
'It's just there… you were so close…'
She began quietly sobbing as she fought against her emotions.
Clutching her blood smeared amulet her arms began shaking.
Annio pursed his lips and stood up, before stepping away from the broken Druchii noblewoman his voice sounded honest as he spoke a farewell;
"Lady Naguii, I am sorry that chance threw our two paths together… But I was once in a position very similar to yours…"
Raveres held her breath and turned to look at the human.
"I had nothing… was left for dead… poor, broken, alone…" he nodded.
"It's not a country for women or elvish-kind…" he laughed.
"Definitely not for shadow-elves… But maybe in Araby you may find another start?"
Raveres let out her breath and sharply took in a new one.
"I was once told, where there's life, there's hope." He nodded, "I hope you can swim."
Turning to his men he spoke in Estalian and two of his crew stepped towards Raveres head and legs.
Quickly they took hold of her and lifted her up.
Screaming and protesting forcefully the Druchii tried to escape their grip.
"Una! Deo! Trea!" the men counted and on the third number Raveres flew over the side of the ships railing and fell, flailing, towards the water below.
She hadn't any time to take a breath before she felt the water collide with her back and her cuirass begin to drag her down.
In Estalian Captain Annio yelled to his crew; "Kill them all! Burn the ship! Leave nothing of value behind!"
The order was met with cheers and loud agreement as the pirates put the remaining Druchii to the sword or bullet.
…