In the Hold
Many of the new prisoners in the ship's hold were terrified. They had been delivered into the hands of a hungry-looking lizard-man, who had counted them off by number, as if ordering them for his dinner-pot. When Captain Halehearty asked for three prisoners, Jathlin (now prisoner #299) took charge of the two closest to him and put them to work rigging the cargo netting to the ship's crane. It was obvious to everyone that he was an experienced sailor, and not a lowly deck-hand.
Thorbin (now Prisoner #295) held back, trying to understand his place in this new world. There was much noise from outside, and in the hold, the prisoners who were not helping huddled together for warmth as the lizard-man's two guards began to fix them with manacles. Thorbin was grabbed roughly, but only one of his arms had been firmly secured when something happend:
He had caught the eye of the lizard-man, and both knew that they both had felt, more than heard (due to the noise of the offloading), the feeling of something large rub against the ship's hull from outside - in the cold depths of the sea. Thorbin instinctively lunged forward, pulling his hands free of the guard, as the side of the ship exploded in a shower of splinters and water.
On the Docks
At that time, work had continued at a solid pace. A young guard nodded at Prisoner 137 (Valrin) as he moved to warm his hands over the barrel-fire, The prisoner dragged his empty sledge back toward the ship past others who worked at chipping ice and hauling nets, with Doc Halfhand there to help and to monitor for exposure and fatigue. The elevator doors were closed for a full load, which began to haul its way upward, with Lex aboard.
Then a deep thud sounded under the ship and a spray of seawater hurled twenty feet into the air. The weathered dock lurched, toppling a stack of barrels and throwing a handful of men into the icy, frothing sea.
OOC:
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See the (ooc) thread, please.
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