Chapter 4 Dark Voyage
Blackness was what greeted both his mental and physical senses. But as the minutes passed by he could tell that his body felt an up and down motion. It was making him feel sick but he found he couldn't do anything about it. His hands were held up by manacles chained to the wall he was propped up against. His shoulders and back ached with the strain but this didn't really bother him. He remembered what had happened before he was put out by the captains sleep darts. The darkness from before was still hanging on the fringes of his mind threatening to take over once more.
He was starting to feel real emotion again. This was his fault. The hunters apparently got what they had come for and killed the villagers for sport as they were departing. He didn't do anything in time to stop them. He could tell that they were blood thirsty but he didn't want to care. He was afraid to take a stand for them and now they were paying for his apathy. This was all his fault. He should have died long ago then this would have been avoided. Why can't he do anything right? He wasn't a stranger to these kinds of thoughts.
"Well now is this not fitting for you? The room is dark. You're all alone and you're chained to a cold wall. Honestly this is the most appropriate circumstance so far that you deserve. I mean after all that you put everyone else through it's well earned. Oooh I wonder what the captain of this ship has in store for you next! I hope it's gruesome!" Ashen lifted his head up and extended his mind enough to only view the room he was in. It was empty save for chains lining the walls, himself and a black silhouette standing before him. It brought up a finger to its head in thought and then pointed out as if it figured out an enjoyable way to pass the time. He didn't know what thing was but it always follows him. It always came at these times when his emotions were free and on a rampage. He knew what was coming but he didn't care anymore.
"Why don't we skip the pleasantries and go to the fun stuff shall we?" It produced a sword shape to its right hand and brought the tip to his left arm. It pressed in and caused a chilling pain to shoot down to his core. He was unresponsive. It led the tip to his right thigh and stabbed in bringing more chills. Still he did nothing. It withdrew once more and wondered to his abdomen. Nothing for a moment. The shadow thrust him through all the way and pierced the wall behind him. Heartbreaking pain and guilt flooded his being and he finally gave a low grown. " There now it seems you do still have the ability to feel. Doesn't it feel good? How exquisite it tastes to the soul? Not that you have a soul anyway?" It twisted the blade around slowly as it said this causing to groan more. "Let's enjoy this for a while shall we?"
It wasn't for a day or so until the door to the room finally creaked open. The captain walked in and gave orders to the guard to not let anyone disturb him. The door closed behind him and he took a moment to look at his captive with silent regard. Ashen was still fully covered in his guise. He still had all of his gear and weapons even. Which is one of the many things of this prisoner that the captain aimed to discover and understand why. There was something unnatural about this person. A strange sense of foreboding hung about them.
The captain pondered over what happened after he had downed the stranger. It seemed simple enough at the time to just have a couple of his crew unmask their new member and relieve them of their possessions. But when anyone came close to doing just that they each recoiled when they got within a foot of their target. He had grown irate when they didn't follow this simple command and made to prove their cowardice. But then he did the same when he reached to remove the fabric from the person's face. He thought that it was just a hysteric brought up from the other men's display. But no matter how he steeled his nerves he couldn't bring himself to do anything more than the rest. None could overcome the feeling that something most horrid would happen if they removed anything from the unconscious being. It was all they could do to quickly pick them up and bring the stranger down to a cell.
It had taken this long to for the captain to finally calm himself enough before interrogating their prisoner. But during that time he had time to think of all the stories that he had heard through his life. Nothing in stories from generations of Vikings before told anything like what he had experienced. But there had to be something to make sense of what happened and of what they are dealing with. There was only one thing that seemed to fit close to it but it still seemed a stretch. A description that reached the ears of his superior and idol. Drago Bludvist himself was intrigued and commanded all his top leaders to keep a special eye out for one particular dragon. A similar beast was described being seen a few years before by the wretches of the village they had just departed. A beast with the name that in the captain's opinion was perfect for the whole species, the Hellsorrow.
The description for this devil of a dragon was in itself something to not take lightly. It is said that it had only shown up in recent years but had caused such havoc it had more than earned its name. Like the feared night fury it is black as night but bares a bloody crimson glow. But unlike the other dragons it never draws near enough to any ships or settlements to unleash it unholy fire upon anyone. Instead it releases a howling roar that shakes the earth skies and seas and pierces the soul of any who hear it. Those who do hear it and survive are never quite the same. It is told that those who have heard it were assailed by dark and overwhelming emotions. The only ones who lived to tell the tail clung to the ones dearest to them, but they could never quite smile after that.
This was the only thing that the captain could go on but the facts seemed to somehow be connected. The feeling that this person chained to the wall before him gave is similar to that described for the Hellsorrow. When he realized this he was filled with a sense of both anxiety and elation. For if he managed to bring even word of that accursed dragon or even greater manage to bring in the beast he would be honored highly by Bloodvist for his devotion to the cause. But at the same time it posed a great risk to the safety and functionality of his ship. For it may well be that the longer this being stays on his ship the more it could wear down on his men's mural. He even would go as far as to consider there being a mutiny if not to simply rid themselves of the menace. If nothing else the captain was thorough with weighing the possibilities. That is how he was trusted to sail so far out from the realm of Vikings and the known world.
All was quiet save for the creaking of the ship upon the waves and the heavy steps of hunters on levels above them. Ashen hung limb against the wall swaying with the motion of the vessel not seeming to have noticed the intrusion. The only light for the room was a single candle. The captain held for a moment longer before walking with deliberate slowness to keep with the somber mood. "Are you awake? Finding your stay satisfactory?" The words fell flat in the air as he spoke them. Ashen didn't stir. "I know you can hear me. I would appreciate if you would do me the courtesy of showing attentiveness!" In the time he took to speak he produced a cat-of-nine-tails with dulled dragon teeth tied to each end and struck across Ashen's middle. This elicited a quick gasp of pain bringing him back to the real world.
"Good now that you are awake and I have your attention I have some things to discuss with you before I can better assist with accommodations." Ashen's breathing was raspy from thirst and the shock of the blow."Now tell me about yourself and what you know about the Hellsorrow" Ashen could now tell that the captain was tightening his grip on the weapon. His whole body was growing tense with fear of what was to come. His breath caught.
It seemed like days now. His whole world was nothing but agonizing and searing pain. No fabric or skin was ever punctured but that was no comfort for him. Each second was drawn out with each aching throb that ran through his whole body. Over all it was nothing new to him. For with each time that a mistake was made or when a painful memory of failure arose. He would inflict well deserved bruises upon himself from head to toe. But that couldn't compare to the brutal treatment he was being given now. His mind's eye view was shrunk down to just him and his captor and the teeth. The teeth he could tell were different from any kind he had sensed in any animal before. The held a certain aura about them that made them glow menacingly to him. They showed red like the blood that had since rusted his own blade. They held a lackluster of the vengeance that emanated from their original owners.
He didn't want to answer the madman, he couldn't answer. Else he would be lost to the torrent of emotions that he now could barely keep at bay. Deception had ensnared him when he tried to defend. Betrayal had set all the innocence aflame. Treachery held him fast in cold chains. And cruelty now assailed him on all sides of his body as the interrogation went on and on. Completely opposite to when he was first held (prisoner). But those before are distant and long dead now. Death, how sweet that seemed to taste now. Tempting him with the tantalizing promise of escape, of release. But it will never come will it? Not when he's continually being beaten by this abysmal pit of a man who only seemed to increase his strikes with mad fervor.
Amazed! Simply astonished beyond what he thought possible! Anyone else would have caved long ago. Even dragons would have whined in submission by now. He was absolutely spent and he had gone further than any time before. He was breathless, his muscles were mush and his mind raced to comprehend. The prisoner eventually gave cries of agony hours into this but then eventually went hoarse and then silent altogether again. A day and a half he has been punishing this wretch with frenzy he never knew he had. He wasn't usually like this; he would take his time and be meticulous to extract answers. He never got a single word out of (it).But something about the masked stranger spurred him on to crazed levels. He was becoming afraid of this creature that hung limb before him.
After what seemed a long moment the captain finally turned clumsily and opened the door. He gave one last glare back to the black figure before slamming the door shut.
Silence gave way to muffled sounds outside the hull of the ship. The dull rush of waves crashing against the sides of the vessel. Groaning of the wood frame holding against the assault of strong winds and rain resounded through all the rooms. Distinct angry rumbles of thunder range through the walls outside. There was a more violent rocking motion felt among all the crew. Activity through the rest of the ship could be heard as they fought to secure the sails and all the precious cargo they had onboard. The captain didn't really pay much heed to this as he made his way alone to his cabin. He was exhausted in more ways than one but he didn't dare show weakness to the others.
It was hard work for him to make it to his quarters but when he finally did he shut the door behind him leaving the hunters in the storm to manage on their own. He staggered to his bed and fell into it, not even bothering to remove his gear. He felt strange since giving up getting answers from his (guest). He was usually calm and collected in himself, an example of strength and fortitude. But now he felt his mind was being invaded by a tendril of madness. It felt that it would uproot all the walls of his psyche. He was unnerved and afraid for reasons he didn't understand. Is this what people hearing the Hellsorrow experienced? After what seemed like hours he finally fell into a fitful sleep plagued with black shapes lurking around every corner of his mind.
The next day and a half was miserable for all on board the vessel. The storm raged long and fierce with strong winds and titanic waves. It seemed every hour would be the one where the ocean would drag the ship into its depths. The mural of the men was long since lost. They all now worked out of desperation to survive the ordeal. Even the captain worked in shifts with the rest to allow some a small reprieve. The sails despite their best efforts were becoming tattered from the gales that continued to assail them. Even the hardiest of the crew had lost their eaten meals more than once because of the tossing of the ship on the waters. It wasn't apparent to any of them but the storm had been driving them north and east much faster than they could have ever done on their own.
The seas continued to batter them for more than a week after that. They were all beyond spent having done all they could to maintain relative control of the ship. And they were all becoming increasingly angry with no one but one to blame and vent their frustrations at. They had each taken turns to insult, beat and punish their prisoner with all they could muster. At first this was a good way for them to release pent up frustration. But as time went on even this recreation lost its sport. The only one who continued to try to get anything out of the shrouded one was the captain. The other crew members had begun to grow wary of their captain as if he had caught some evil illness. He now had wildness to his eyes that he never showed to anyone before.
And so it was that on the ninth night of this voyage that the storm had reached new heights. The crew was all hunkered in their barracks completely exhausted. They had stopped trying altogether to steer the ship in any direction other than where they were being driven to. Down in the cell the captain had fell to his knees breathing hard after just fifteen minutes of his latest interrogation. Before him hung a motionless cloaked figure swaying with the rocking of the vessel. The captain's eyes had sunken some into his head and lines shown in his face that weren't there before. He stayed there for a long time not quite able to even out his breaths. And then without thinking he staggered to his feet and stepped forward bringing his face within inches of Ashen's covered features. He stared at the still figure for a while before he reached to his belt and produced a key. With a couple of squeaky turning sounds the dark figure fell deftly to the floor but otherwise didn't move. After a couple more seconds the captains footsteps can be heard making their way to the door. The door swung open and the sound of steps on damp wood receded.
For another long while nothing else stirred save the ship. Then there was sound of hitched haggard breaths. Everything was dark and numb to him except the agony that his whole body was experiencing. He had little strength after all the punishment, hunger and lack of water. With excruciating slowness he worked himself to his hands and knees. He had only one thought left to him to comprehend and act on. "Escape" He crawled to the door that was left open and then hesitantly turned his head either way. It was all dark to him still. He then only just remembered to try to focus his mind to see. But he couldn't bring himself to perceive farther than a couple feet. With no other reference Ashen turned to the right to follow the direction of where his tormentor always emerged from and dissipated to him.
It didn't occur to him how strange it was to not encounter any hunters. But all he could do was focus on putting each hand in front of the other. He was being sure that he pulled his heavy legs with his so he didn't fall over. Doing his best to not lose consciousness as he steadily made his way through this endless hallway. He suddenly stopped when he caught the structure of stairs in front of him. His head dropped and he stayed in placed as he tried to ready himself for a minute. He then noticed that there were droplets falling onto his hood. Then he registered the sound of rain, wind and thunder above him up the stairs. Something up there among the storm was drawing closer to the ship, calling him to continue.
With a renewed sense of urgency and determination Ashen climbed up the steps on all fours. One level came after another in slow succession as he ascended. With each minute he could hear a little clearer the sweet sounds of the world outside. With the last step came the rejuvenating sense of cold wet fresh salty air whipping over his head. With a sudden burst of elation he expanded his mind's eye to the world around. The deck of the ship was broad and littered with ropes and scattered armaments. Ashen crawled the rest of the way onto the deck and rolled flat on his back enjoying the rain dulling his sharp aches. This feeling didn't last long when he suddenly coughed hard and felt new stabbing pains in his sides that he hadn't noticed before. It was difficult to take in deep breaths.
A flash of lightning trailed across the sky illuminating the chaotic world around him. To him it is a beautiful intricate dance of energy dashing from cloud to cloud. But partnered with it was a light of a different sort zipping along the line of travel. He then noticed another much darker life light from the rest of the lights belonging to the hunters below on the opposite end of the ship moving towards him. His breath caught and he struggled to his feet for the first time in days. He nearly fell to the floor again but adrenaline was now pumping through his veins. Fear burned cold in his core as the man walked closer not caring that he was drenched.
The captain looked to the stranger that appeared on deck and found the only person he was expecting for reasons he didn't quite understand. "So you have come draugr thrall of the Hellsorrow! Is it vengeance you seek? Or do you just wish to return to your devil dragon of a master?!
With great effort of will and body Ashen drew his sword in response.
"Well now, so it comes down to this!" He pulled out his favored cat-of-nine-tails whip and strode forward to land a strike.
"Those teeth!" Ashen lunged with a thrust to end this quickly. But the mad captain saw this coming and revealed his bill hook that he was holding the point straight out.
The captain went in with his own thrust confident of the greater reach. Ashen reacted only just in time to deflect the pole arm. But then he found himself being hit in the side of the head with that accursed whip of multiple dragon teeth. He staggered to the side disoriented and then felt his right leg was pulled out from under him. He tried to correct his balance with his other leg but suddenly he felt something painfully shift in his left knee. He gasped in surprise and lost what balance remained and fell on his back. His entire body and especially his sides were screaming in protest at the sudden abuse.
The captain stepped up and placed a heavy boot on Ashen's chest forcing the air out of his lungs and pinned his neck to the wooden deck with the rounded side and spike portion of his bill hook. He looked triumphant for a second but then switched to his cold stare to watch his foe squirm.
Ashen tried to struggle to get the hook away from his neck with his left hand. It was becoming exceedingly difficult to draw in air to his crushed lungs. He was growing frantic to try to way to get the weight off of him. He heard more cracking sounds from his ribs underneath the boot pinning him down. The colors behind his flesh eyes were flashing with white red and yellow colors. His mind was starting to close in around him.
Before he was ready to lose consciousness a shrieking roar pierced their ears and the skies around them. The Captain looked up towards the source not in surprise but in glee. This was Ashen's last chance. With every last ounce of strength left in him he stabbed upwards with his sword up into the flaps of the leather armor.
The captain looked down with his face unreadable. Nothing seemed to have happened. But then Ashen could feel something coming off of the captain that he had not sensed before, surprise.
It was at this point that lightning struck near them knocking the captain away. Thunder rang deafeningly loud in their ears. Ashen coughed with relief with the air rushing to his lungs. He worked his way to his feet but had troubled especially putting weight on his left leg. The captain quickly got to his feet as well. They were both met with a sight that would bring the hardiest man to his knees.
Sitting between them flashing with electricity was an angry dragon with two great wings and legs and a thrashing tail. Its head was lined along the back ridge with spines and was filled with sharp teeth. Its eyes were set to the front and glared warily at the two men.
Ashen's mind was nearly blinded by what he was sensing. The winged reptile in front of him was shining with both electrical energy and its own violet life light. Its mind was unlike anything that he had ever encountered before. It seemed to burn with an ethereal quality that buzzed with life.
"The Skrill" Ashen turned towards the captain who was now clutching at his side. He then finally noticed that life lights beneath them were moving about the ship. The crew had been awakened and was coming to see what the commotion was.
The captain had taken only one step to retreat but this was enough to rile up the Skrill. Tendrils of lightning lashed about from its body in all directions as it growled in warning. They each ducked their heads in vain to try to keep from getting hit. And before anyone could expect it, a flash of energy hit right into Ashen's chest. Next thing he knew the jewel that hung around his neck burst with its own light that was overwhelming. Ashen gave a cry of agony as his mind was illuminated with not just this brilliant light but also a million images that all entered his perception far too quickly for him to handle.
This startled the dragon to defensive action. All at once it gave off a great pulse of energy that sent both the captain and Ashen flying in opposite directions. Ashen felt the current run through his already battered body as he landed in something that continued to fall after his impact. The world seemed to rock and toss more rapidly after that as he laid in something and saw the side of the ship rise above him. He sensed the other hunters had made it to the top level just in time for the dragon to let off one more wave of electricity that was greater than the first. The assault was so great that explosions rang out along the deck and then traveled down the levels of the vessel. Ashen could do nothing more as he felt life lights snuffed out and the ship quickly disappear into the violent waters.
He was finally free! But he was now stranded in the middle of the treacherous storm tossed ocean.
His tormentors were no more! And yet their deaths still weighed down on him like the crushing depths.
He had finally seen a dragon! But that beast was no better than the men who made him suffer, killing them with little provocation.
As his mind was winding down the rest of him was following suit. The adrenaline was spent and gave way to all the pain that he now felt. He couldn't escape from physical or mental anguish. His jewel had returned to normal but his mind was overflowing with images that he had never seen before. Blurs of vivid colors and silhouettes played through his mind. But he couldn't make any sense of anything anymore. He was so exhausted, so hungry, so thirsty so much in pain. He was very much spent. He couldn't do anything anymore. " I think I'll die here."
But as sweet blackness took hold of the edges of his mind there was one more image that came to him. The great shimmering white doors came into view but then fires sprang forth to bar passage to them. A man and a sleek black dragon came forward from the blaze. Ashen suddenly felt a rush of realization as he felt that and the other images connecting together of their own accord. A feeling came to him that was so very strange to him it was frightening, and yet he had yearned for something like it for a very long time. Hope.
The resignation for death left his mind.
"Toothless"
His mind was slipping away from the waking world.
"Hiccup"