WARNING! CHAPTER CONTENT CONTAINS A GRAPHIC SCENE-ISH!
Chores – Why was she doing chores?
That's right; Shiva had stowed away'd into the Dead Pool – Gangplank's ship when a small outbreak of rivaling pirates caused mayhem in Bilgewater's market. The one day she decides to go shopping; the day she replaces the life of a healthy pirate at sea with her own. The mop had to be cleansed each segment; the floor's questionable stains quickly irked the woman as heavy traffic further wedged the filth into the unreachable cracks. Tempted to seal off the area she claimed as her cleaning ground, the main deck would prove impossible to keep clean for more than a minute. Did anyone even care about the cleanliness of their ship? Probably not; these men were accustomed to such conditions; worse, perhaps.
One of the crew members had approached her hesitantly.
"Hey, wench, are ye gonna be making us here some dinner t'night? I'm starvin'..." the one-eyed pirate asked.
"Excuse you! I have a name – Shiva Armetige, and you will address me as such!" the woman almost fumed at the title he bestowed upon her. "You will also be polite when requesting a meal".
"Hrn...whatever'll make ye get dinner started" Shiva would opt to take advantage of his offer.
"Here, get moppin'!" dumping her cleaning chores on the pirate, he'd stare at the items as if they were alien.
When did they get a cleaning crew? They never had one before.
The kitchen had been occupied by hungry sailors chopping up potatoes and simmering them in water to claim it as a meal; they clearly lacked the skills to cook, and didn't seem the least bothered by their choice of food.
Shiva found herself stared upon by soul-less eyes brimming with a hint of light at the possible meaning of food to be served.
"Ya here to cook, wench?" one asked.
"I'm not a wench! My name is Shiva, and I won't be cooking unless you address me as such!" she fumed, but exploded at the sight of dishes piled from last night and today. "You can't even wash your own dishes!?".
So many triggers in a single room. Massaging her temples to inhale deeply before releasing it with a quick huff, she pointed at one of them and ordered him to wash the dishes.
"I ain't no cleaning boy" he had a distinct southern accent, but he refused to partake in this clean-up of hers.
"You want food? Get those dishes washed" Shiva threatened them.
"I'd rather die than do a woman's job" the venom pouring from that one word caused her to turn on another nearby crew member.
"You, dishes! If you want food" she ordered.
"Sorry, lass, but I only take orders from the captain" he rolled his shoulders into a shrug before walking off.
Available candidates were running short, and she could've probably finished half the dishes by now. Exhaling in an irritated manner, the silver-haired woman would wash the dishes herself as others either looked on or took a peek before moving along. Cursing innocently under her breath, this had eliminated time from actually cooking; the men would wait longer for their food to be prepared and served.
Tonight's meal; Clam Chowder. The massive pot from last night would serve its purpose once again; cook the soup.
Crabs, plenty of crabs to be cracked open for their meat, and sliced square potatoes to add to the thick broth of cooking chowder. Bits of celery mixed with the concoction, and would soon draw in a crowd of sailors itching for a bite to eat.
"If you want daily meals, you'll all need to start washing your dishes! It takes a few seconds, I swear! "she called to them, but was most likely ignored.
"Just serve us the food, woman, we're starving here!" called one.
"Ya would've been done eating if I didn't take that extra hour to wash your dishes!" she pouted before finally distributing the food to the hungry sailors.
Most didn't wait to seat themselves before digging into the scorching hot soup before returning to their duty on-deck. By the dozen they were fed, all requesting at least two servings before sating their hunger.
Once again she'd been left to do the dishes; lovely. The pot almost empty, and dishes stacked up would occupy her time for another hour while maintaining the kitchen in pristine condition. Sadly, it'd only retain its status for several minutes until a loud crashing sound resonated through the ship; followed by a vigorous shake toppling her over.
"ALL MEN ON DECK! ENEMY SHIP ON THE HORIZON! READY THE CANONS!" cried out the voice of the captain.
Under a minute, the deck flourished with crew members running like disorganized ants adjusting the mast and sails to catch wind and sail towards the enemy ship. Captain Gangplank had assumed his position on deck and navigated the Dead Pool through familiar waters.
Shiva's first experience of the battles waged on at sea, and the scratch worth of damage had rocked the ship enough to cause plates to shatter, and her pot to spill over. Groaning at this, she'd spend her time cleaning up the mess until the loud foot activity upstairs frightened her; the commands grew fiercer, and the crew responded with battle cries.
Drifting to the main deck to observe the spectacle before them, their speeds had almost caught up to the ship in sight; twice their size, and firing a barrage of canons at them.
Gangplank wasn't one to maneuver his way through the rain of canons, but tackle them straight on without an ounce of fear. That smug grin on his features as he called out to his crew to be wary of ropes attempting to hoist the enemy onto their ship. Men with machetes stood by the railing until they rammed against the enemy ship ceasing its fire; cries of men could be heard; growing louder until grappling hooks and ropes fired to pierce the thickened floor of the Dead Pool to guide their men down. Gangplank's own men fired off grappling hooks as the crew climbed them with haste to mount the enemy ship; the blood fest had begun. Machetes sliced and dices through the flesh like butter, tearing viciously without mercy before receiving a death blow from a pistol. Gangplank easily picked through the invading pirates boarding his ship by firing at them upon their descending on his ship, causing them to splash into the water below.
His crew kept the men occupied as he intervened in some clashing battles to outnumber the opposing pirates; one had spotted the silver-haired female and grinned as he charged directly into her direction. Gasping as she fled back inside to stumble through some debris and furniture clogging the hallway, she took refuge in that same closet during the first incident.
The pirate had followed her into the empty quarters, loudly shoving the furniture aside and anxiously peering into every room while uttering out threatening phrases.
"Little lass~ Come on out and I'll think about going easy on ya." he called out in aloud whisper of sorts as he bounced his blade from one hand to the other.
The large male had a few teeth missing from his upper and lower maw, and dressed in a tattered peasant top with cargo pants; satchel strapped to his waist as he gazed around with his only functional eye, the other masked by an eye-patch.
Maintaining silent in the closet, loud footsteps caused the floors to creak, alerting her that the man was in the vicinity. He spent no time searching through obvious hiding places until his hand flung the closet door open and grasped a handful of Shiva's hair to toss her on the floor with a loud thud.
Yelping on contact, he mounted the helpless woman and pressed the tip of his knife onto her jugular.
"Don't be thinking I'll be put off by raping a dead woman. Your body will still be warm by the time I'm done with ye" he warned her.
Shiva had to remain still, even when his horrid breath caused her to gag in disgust. That same blade trailed down her outfit to rip open the top and spill her heavy chest for him to grin at.
"Can see why the captain chose to have you as his slut..." he amused himself.
Forced to bite her tongue as his rough hands handled her breasts without an ounce of care – it caused more pain than pleasure. Why was no one around to help? The gunfire had ceased some time ago, and she couldn't hear the commands from the captain anymore.
The ruffian had dipped a finger into her slit to wiggle it about as she gasped in pain.
"A virgin? Aren't you glad you'll have the best sex in your life before you die...or maybe I'll bring you aboard once I'm done and let the others have fun stretching you out – how does that sound? Least you'll be kept alive for a while longer" he withdrew his finger and shuffled to unbuckle his belt.
The grotesque thing to reek as bad as his mouth caused her nose to scrunch in disgust. Silently praying for the heavens to answer her cries for help, the pirate had ceased momentarily as pacing footsteps could be heard down the hall. Taking the opportunity to assume it was her crew, she cried out in hopes of being heard.
"HELP! PLEASE!" though, a good slap to the face from the pirate would shut her up.
In view, the captain and another mate had stumbled upon the scene. Without a word, Gangplank shot the man with a clear head shot as he shuffled to retrieve his lodged pistol.
Entrails of the pirate's brain had splattered onto her dress and face, her parted lips almost had her swallow bits of his blood as his body toppled over with a thud. Screaming in a mixture of fear, joy, and confusion; the captain ordered his man to clean up the mess before departing without a care in the world; the last man of the enemy had been slain in cold blood.
If Shiva had hopes that they responded to her plea for help, she'd be notified that the only reason the captain 'assisted' would be for the disposal of an intruder on his ship; nothing more, nothing less.
Temptation had risen for the mate left behind as he disposed of the body by tossing it to sea, and occasionally stole quick glances of the woman's exposed chest. Shiva would shakily saunter off as men would soon join in filling the corridor, also catching quick glimpses before minding their own business. Where did they shower? How did they rid themselves of the filth from such events?
None offered a solution, but half the crew had to take turns sleeping before returning to duty; less than a dozen had fallen to the number of casualties suffered from this attack. Beds were available, and the late hours gave her no choice but to attempt sleeping with half her dress stained in another man's blood and entrails. Emerald pools wide open while repeating the near-rape scene playing in her head, she'd find difficulties staying asleep for the remainder of the night.
