Chapter 10

Trespass

There was a large crashing noise and the sounds of screaming and yelling that jolted Vriska awake from her mat. She looked around the room growing concerned at the noises coming up from deck. She looked at Dualscar's bed, noticing he wasn't there, along with Ahab's crosshairs that was usually hung up on the wall. She then noticed something was off, the leveling of the ship was slanted to the side instead of flat. She jumped to her feet, quickly putting on her armor for her dress and ran up on deck.

It was grim out, although it was day, the sky was a sickly grayish blue with large dark gray menacing clouds and it was raining down hard. The crew was running around in utter chaos as the bow of the ship was being attack by a mass of tentacles that was coming up from the water, and the mast of the ship was hooked up with the mast of some foreign ship. Both ships were in an uncomfortable slanted position causing anything that wasn't tied down to roll off the edge and anyone who didn't have good footing to slip and stumble. Dualscar's crew was at battle with the crew from the other ship, who were boarding. The Orphaner himself was stuck up on the bow firing his weapon at the lusus who was attacking. A tentacle wrapped around his ankle and was tugging him towards the edge, but he did his best to stand firm ground.

It was apparent that the Orphaner's crew couldn't see their Captain in danger as they continued battling away with the opposing crew. Vriska knew she had to help him, so she ran as fast as she could without losing her footing. She ran up to him, looking around for something that could help before noticing a sword in a sheath he had on his belt. She grabbed the hilt of the sword pulling it out from its sheath and struck the tentacle around his leg, cutting it off. There was a spine chilling screech that caused some men to cover their ears and the dismembered appendage squirmed frantically around on the deck.

Dualscar looked over to see who just saved his skin, his eyes widening at the sight of the young girl. He opened his mouth about to say something but another tentacle began to lunge for him. Vriska got a firm grip on her sword and took action, slicing off the slimy arm. Dualscar grit his teeth and turn his attention back to the beast getting better footing on the slick deck. She stood by his side striking and slicing at any tentacles that got near them. The Orphaner shot her a glare as the beast was beginning to back off slightly.

"WVHAT THE FUCK ARE YE DOIN' OUT HERE?" he yelled, he wasn't angry at her, he was only yelling so she could hear over the roars from the beast, and the screaming and yelling from the men.

"I heard trouble so I came to help!" she yelled back keeping her attention on the beast.

"That's good and all but ye need to get back in me quarter's ye are safer there!" he replied shooting his weapon at the lusus.

"I am going to help Dualscar! I can fight!" she yelled.

Sure, Vriska was a woman and was seen as inferior to the rest of the crew, but she knew how to old her own and fight. She grew up always in a survival mode due to the fear of being eaten alive, she learned how to defend herself and use a sword. Dualscar wasn't telling her to hide because he thought she was weak, but because he wanted her to be safe. He looked at her as if she was still a young wriggler, and as ironic as it was for him being the Orphaner, he was almost "daddying" her as if she was his own.

"I don't wvant ye getting' hurt!" he snarled.

"I am going to help! Am I or am I not a member of this crew!? We stick together!" she yelled.

His expression softened for a moment before letting out an angered growl, "Fine! Patrol belowv deck, I think some of those scoundrels got dowvn there. Kill anyone wvho isn't one of ours, regardless of howv they are, if ye can't tell look for me symbol on the clothin' of course. If things get to dicey I wvant ye to run and hide in me quarters! That's an ORDER!"

"Aye, Captain," she yells gripping the hilt of her sword tightly and runs off to the door that led below deck.

Dualscar looked at the sword she held, it was one he had stolen from Mindfang sweeps ago. It was an older model of the sword Mindfang currently carried, lacking the barbed blade her new one had. It was a brighter shade of cerulean and it was smaller and lightweight, being used when Mindfang was about Vriska's age. He stole it from her, and used it as his personal lusii killer due to the fact the blade was so sharp, fine, and accurate, it could split a hair in half vertically. The sword was perfect for Vriska, but it gave Dualscar a strange sense of déjà vu he couldn't fully understand.

Vriska made her way below deck, where it was eerily quieter compared to the havoc on the deck above. It was dark here, the lighting had gone out, so she could only make out the shapes of things close by. She held her sword up walking with it in front of her, prepared to strike those who might attack. It would be hard to tell the difference between the two crews so she just hoped she made the right call. There was the sound of crashing pans coming from the nearby galley; hopefully it was just the chef.

She entered they galley, having some relief seeing there was proper lighting here. She looked around the galley seeing it was clear, but the door to the kitchen was wide open and yelling was coming from in there. Walking into the kitchen she saw the chef armed with just a meat cleaver as two men approached him with swords. She growled running up and taking one of the men's heads off, it falling to the floor with a thud and rolling across to the wall. The other man watched the beheaded body fall to the floor, teal blood spurting from its neck. He glared at Vriska growling and lunged for her before gasping as a cleaver cut down the middle of his head, getting stuck halfway down the forehead. The chef, who held the other end of the cleaver, pulled the bloody utensil free, the man's skull making a disgusting cracking sound. The body fell to the floor next to the corpse lacking a head, blood pooling around the two.

"Thanks Lassy, ye saved me arse," the chef laughed in a morbidly nervous manner.

Vriska nodded looking the chef over with a concerned expression. The chef was clutching his right side, a good amount of burgundy colored blood dripping down his side and covering his hand. She looked at him worried taking a step closer which caused him noticed what she was looking at and sighed.

"Lass I am fine. Nothin' the doc can't patch up," he muttered managing a weak yet reassuring smile.

"O-okay… did you see any more of the other crew down here?" she asked.

"Y-yeah, a group about three of them went down towards the direction of the cargo hold," he muttered. He opens up a cabinet and pulled out a heavy duty metal flashlight, handing it over to her. "Here, it's dark down there."

She takes the flash light and whispers, "Okay, I am going to go after them. Be safe here."

He gives her a nod and leans against the counter as he watches her run off. Once back in the hall she turned on the flash light, making sure it was a dimmer setting so it wasn't so obvious to the opponents she was coming. She gripped the flash light with one hand, holding it up by the side of her face, while she had her sword in the other. She took slow cautious steps as she descended the steps into the cargo hold. She remained calm and collected; it was just like going down to check on her spider mom back at her hive. Once in the cargo hold she quickly glanced around seeing nothing but crates and chests. Assuming they men left the cargo hold she turned to go back up to the hall, but was suddenly grabbed by the hair and pulled to the floor.

Vriska grunted as she was slammed against the floor, banging her head on the wood pretty hard. She dropped flash light, it rolling off into the darkness behind some crates. Her sword landed beside her, and as she went to reach for it her hand was stepped on, cracking a few ligaments. She could hear the sound of her sword slide across the floor as it got kicked away into the shadows. She hissed in pain and anger lifting her head up to look, her vision a bit doubled from hitting her head but she could see a figure standing over her. It pointed a sword to her neck making her lay her head back down on the floor.

"I got one!" an unfamiliar voice yelled.

Another figure emerged from the shadows; he was holding a lantern so the darkness around them was lit up. The second one seemed out of breath and a bit on edge as he looked over at his companion. The first narrowed his eyes as he looked over the woman he had caught.

"Shit! You got the fucking Marquise!" the second yelled.

"Ah it can't be her….. The fuckin' Marquise doesn't wear fuckin' glasses. Besides…. This girl is too young to be that damn woman," the first snarled.

"But look at the clothes! The horns! The fucking eye! It got seven pupils! It has to be her!" the lantern holder snarled.

"It can't be! It must be her kin or somethin'," the sword wielder retorted.

As the two argued Vriska was looking around for a way to get out of this and back to her sword. She looked down at her steel toed scarlet boots and then at the groin of the one who stood over her. It was worth a shot, she thought and kicked up into the man's groin with a direct hit. He groaned in pain falling into the man with the lantern, making him drop it. The lantern fell to the floor breaking, making their source light go out. Vriska took this opportunity to crawl over to a glow that was coming from her flashlight, which was behind a crate. She grabbed the flashlight, the bulb flickering and going out. Damn it, she thought hitting the flashlight against her palm, she really needed the light to find where her sword went off to.

As she was trying to get the light to work, one of the men tackled her to the floor. She snarled struggling to get free as he worked his hands around her throat. She looked at the flash light in her hand and hit him in the temple with it, the glass shattering into his skin. The man growled grabbing the side of his head in pain giving Vriska the opportunity to jab the end with the jagged broken bulb into his eye. He screamed in pain grabbing his face in pain, and to make things worse for him she punched him in the face making him fall back. She stood up taking the sharp heel of her boot and bringing it down on the man's face with full force. The sharp heel buried its way into his skull, busting through into his soft doughy brain.

Vriska gagged vomiting a little on the floor as she felt the brain squish under her foot. She shuddered gritting her teeth as she tried to free her heel, which was stuck in the man's skull, from his head. She tugged shaking her foot some, finally getting the corpse off her. She took a step back but slipped due to her one boot being slick and coated in blood. She grunted as she fell flat on her ass and one of her hands crushing against the wood as it tried to catch herself. She looked around only seeing dark shapes but nothing more.

Vriska suddenly felt a powerful force hit her in the chest and she fell back on the floor. The sword wielder had kicked her in the chest and was now standing on top of her with one foot. She grabbed at his ankle with her hands trying to get him off, but it was no use. He snarled raising his sword above his head ready to bring the blade down into her skull. Vriska moved her hands across the floor feeling for anything that she could be able to use to defend herself with. Her hand landed on something sharp, slicing her palm open, causing her to hiss in pain before realizing it was her sword. She grabbed the dull side of her sword pulling the weapon to her giving her the chance to now grab the hilt. With a swift swing, she sliced the man's leg in half making him fall over with a loud scream.

"YOU BITCH! YOU FUCKIN' BITCH!" he screamed grasping at his bloody nub of a leg.

Vriska stood up breathing heavily as she clutched the hilt of her sword a bit shaken. She looked down at the man raising the sword over her head and crashing the sharp tip down into his head. She looked away as she pulled the blade away from the corpse, blood squirting out of the head wound. She huffed taking a step back to catch her breath before turning and walking back up the stairs.

The Serket girl walked back into the hallway, it was much brighter now, and suddenly she crashed into the wall then onto the floor as the ship went back to a level position. The two masts must have gotten untangled, she thought as she slowly stood. When she stood she saw another figure that had been lying on the floor in the hallway, slowly stand. She growled walking up to it with her sword ready to strike at it. She froze though as she looked the troll over, it was a woman pirate. The woman held up her hands surrendering to Vriska; she was bloody with multiple bruises and lacerations all over her.

"Please…. I surrender… I … I am not going to do anything… I … I got lost from my group and was looking for bandages…. Please… I am not going to do anything… Don't kill me…" the woman pleaded.

Vriska gritted her teeth contemplating what to do with her. She didn't want to kill the woman, she didn't seem like a threat, but then again Dualscar said to kill anyone who wasn't of their crew. Vriska sighed and looked at the woman with apologetic eyes.

"I am sorry," Vriska whispered and plunged the sword through the pirate woman's heart.

The woman let out a sickly gasp her eyes rolling into the back of her head as she crashed down onto her knees. The blade slid out of her body as she collapsed, covered in a thick cerulean blood. Vriska bit her lip looking down at the female's face, it was wide eyed and in a look of heart break. The Serket sighed crouching down beside the girl and dragging two fingers over her eye lids, closing them. The girl was a little younger than Vriska, by about a sweep or so. Vriska stood and closed her eyes shaking her head upset with herself.

"I'm sorry," she whispers and begins making her way back on deck.

The deck was a lot calmer now as the crew got to collecting themselves and catching their breath. The sky had cleared up and the sun was slowly peaking from the clouds. The other ship was being raided by some of Dualscar's men, and the other crew was nowhere in sight other than their bodies on the ground, that were being collected and thrown overboard. Dualscar was on the bow of his ship wiping off his hands after throwing the last of the tentacles from the beast into the water. A crew member saw Vriska and walked up to her with a bit of a smirk.

"Ye look like shit, Lass," he chuckles patting her shoulder.

"Shut the fuck up, you idiotic pig" she said in a monotone voice giving him an unamused glare and a raised middle finger.

The other crew members who saw this let out a wrigglerish 'Ohhhh' and laughed at the one who antagonized her. He looked around flushing some as he was demeaned by the much smaller girl and now his own crew members. He backed up and retreated over to the railing to look out at the ocean, too embarrassed to talk to anyone. Vriska walks up to Dualscar, who was looking through the crosshair scope of his weapon. She gently taps him on the shoulder to get his attention, and he turns to look down upon her.

"Oi, Vwris. Ye okay, Lass? Ye look beat…. Wvhat happened?" Dualscar asked brushing some hair that was plastered to her forehead with sweat to the side.

"Yeah, I'm fine Captain," she says with a soft smile. "There were some men but they are taken care of."

"Really? Howv many? Ye did it all by ye self?" he asks genuinely surprised.

"Yeah. There were five of them, I killed four and the chef killed one," she replies brushing some more hair from her face.

Dualscar nodded furrowing his brows grabbing her sword and sheathing it before grabbing the girl's hand she was using to wipe her hair away with. Three of her fingers were snapped backwards in a gruesome looking way, plus she had a cut open palm. She gasped, she hadn't even realized she had bent her fingers back, she never even felt that pain.

"Wvhat happened to yer hand?!" he asked looking at it.

"I… I don't know… it must have been when I fell…. I didn't even feel it…." she replied looking at him concerned.

He sighs chuckling a little, "Must of been your adrenaline kicking. This can be easily fixed. Let's go to the infirmary."

He puts a hand on her back and guides her down towards the infirmary. He stops seeing the dead woman in the hall and looks over at Vriska with a remorseful expression. He pats her back and walks around the dead girl carefully.

"Ye did the right thing Vwris. Sometimes wve do things wve regret but the choices wve make, make us wvho wve are. Ye followved me orders, ye respected me as a Captain and that makes me vwery proud of ye. Ye are a good girl…. A good pirate Vwriska. Be happy, be proud of yerself. That girl she wvas… just another obstacle… but ye ovwer came it. Ye showv yer potential," he sighed giving her a weak smile.

She nods with a morbid expression on her face before smiling back. "Yeah, you are right. Thanks."

The two get to the infirmary, walking in to see the doctor finish patching up the chef's wound. Both the chef and doctor smile at Vriska as she enters the room, Dualscar followed behind. The chef stood nodding to the doctor, then Dualscar, before leaving the room. The doctor looked at Vriska as she took a seat in a chair beside him.

"What is the issue Vriska?" he asked.

"Can you fix up her hand?" Dualscar asked, grabbing Vriska's wrist and showing off the mangled fingers and sliced palm.

"Oh… Yeah…" He looks at Vriska with a look for forgiveness. "I am sorry."

She cocks a brow, "Sorry for what?"

The doctor looks at Dualscar, "Can you…. Hold her?"

"Wait?! What!? Why do I need to be held!?" she yelled squirming away.

Dualscar grabbed her wrist pinning it to the desk, his other arm wrapped tightly around her to keep her from struggling. The doctor sighed grabbing one of the bent back fingers and bent if forward a grotesque popping sound being made. Vriska screamed in pain struggling to get her wrist free from Dualscar's grip. The doctor put a small splint on the fixed finger.

"Ye are doin' fine Vwris….Ye got twvo more…." Dualscar whispered trying to calm her.

The doctor took the second bent back finger repeating the same process. Vriska hissed loudly this time, still squirming against Dualscar. The Captain stroked her hair, shoosh papping her, in order to calm her down.

"Yer okay, just one more…" he said in a soothing tone.

She nods hissing in pain and shutting her eyes tightly in preparation for this. The doctor snaps the finger back into position as fast as he could, making her whimper sadly. He puts a splint on her third finger and gets to just cleaning up the cut on her palm to prevent infection. Luckily it didn't need stitches so he just wraps up her entire hand in bandages, wrapping each finger individually. Dualscar lets go of her and rubs her shoulders gently.

"Ye did well; I remember the first time I bent me fingers back. I almost cried like a wvriggler, and that wvas actually wvhen I just bent them. Imagine howv I wvas wvhen I got em' back in place," Dualscar laughed.

She looks at him rubbing her hand, "You? Orphaner Dualscar? Almost cried?"

"Wvell that wvas before I evwen wvas the Orphaner… or evwen Dualscar for that matter…" he chuckled.

"How old were you?" she asked.

"Wvell…. Uh…. four swveeps…" he chuckled

Vriska frowns, "Dualscar…. You were a wiggler… That makes me feel worse…"

He chuckles, "Oh yeah….."

She gives him a flat expression and sighs, "It's not funny…"

"Oh Vwris, ye did a good job today," he says standing putting a hand on her shoulder. "Go wvash up. Ye can wvear one of me tunics and pants if ye wvant. Ye deservwe a break from these clothes, plus they be bloody. "

She smiles some, "Okay, thanks."