NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Haraash Saan" data-source="post: 5092673" data-attributes="member: 46615">Chapter 11 – Home Sweet Home    The night passed uneasily for me. The crash of waves against the timber hull and the constant lurching of the vessel had me somewhat fearful. It did not help that the thoughts that plagued me were of our cowardly flight.  I too had been keen to leave Halfast, although admittedly I had made no effort to organise my departure, and had succumbed to the apparent urgency of our changed circumstance. However now that I could reflect, it seemed inappropriate to flee under the cover of darkness and not allow the still adoring Halfastian’s the thrill of seeing their heroes once more. In fact I was actually angry that we had left like beaten dogs, tails trailing between our legs. It was not a fit way for a knight of the realm to travel!    The taste of salty wetness woke me. I spat and groped in the darkness for my skin of water and rinsed my mouth from the ocean water that had dripped into it from the timbers above. I rose cautiously, grasping the walls to steady myself against the constant rocking.     As I stumbled to the door Morgan, who I had not realised was also awake, called out softly from a corner of the room, “It is no use Gerard, our hosts have barred the door and it is stuck fast.”    “Barred?” I stated incredulously. “What do you mean barred?” I continued somewhat foolishly. It was quite obvious what Morgan had meant.    I sighed, sat down, leaning against the wall, and waited. It must have been close to midday before we heard the bar being lifted. During the morning my companions had woken, argued and yelled out. Argonne wanted to break the door open, but I managed to dissuade him. Whatever it was they wanted it would be easier to discuss their terms if they were not angered by our actions.     The door was pulled open, the rusted hinges groaning with effort. A hooded lantern shone into our prison, and was hooked on a nail beside the door.    It took me a moment to accustom myself to the light. A large and burly man stood in the doorway, behind him I could count at least seven others crowding the corridor.    “Mornin’ me lads.” He said jovially to us as he licked his cracked lips. “I’m Trev, firs’ mate aboar’ the Blue Mongrel.”    Before any of us could protest at our treatment Trev continued with another lick of his lips, “De ‘onorable Blue Pirat’ Platard wants ‘is payment.”    “Excuse me, Trev, but we have already paid your good Captain his fees.” I replied rather naively.    “Ah yeah, that you did. But  the Cap’in wan’s ‘is otha money. The way ‘e sees it, you owe him anotha two hun’red sickles each fer safe passage. So be good and cough it up.” Said Trev with a wicked grin and another lip lick.     Well, to say we erupted would be an understatement. Harsh words were spoken by all. Weapon’s were threatened to be drawn, Trev’s boys tensed, but in the end Trev averted violence. “Firs’ly, you reckon you lot, can take on the entire ship’s crew, landlubbers the lot of ye? I think not.”     At this there was more bravado from the Hydra, but with raised hands Trev hushed us once more. Again his tongue forked out across his dry lips, “Are you gunna pay or not?”    “No sir we will not!” I exclaimed defiantly.    The smug first mate smiled, his tongue once again ventured across its crusty path, and closed the door. As the bolt thudded back into place we could all hear the laughter from Trev’s men.    We chose not to resist because Trev was right, there was no point. We would have lost our lives trying to engage the entire crew. So now we grumbled and waited once more. It was not a long wait.    A bead of sunlight suddenly lanced into our dingy quarters. A small hole, no larger than a fist, had been uncovered directly above us. Morgan was the first to act, he quickly organised to climb Zhontell’s shoulders and plug the hole. He stood a moment on the elf, a strange totem the pair made, reaching to stuff a cloth in the hole. But then with a splutter and a cough he fell with thump to the floor. As Zhontell strung his bow (somewhat pointlessly), Mortec assessed the fallen Fastendian.     “He’s unconscious!” the Gnome rasped, coughing a little.     A twang and accompanying thud sounded the result of Zhontell’s first and last arrow. He never managed another shot because he too fell unconscious to the floor.    “Their poisoning us!” cried Argonne as he dragged his shirt over his mouth, but alas it was too late, he fell face forward, thankfully across the prone Morgan.    I grabbed a handy kerchief and quickly tied it across my own and surveyed our situation. The women had slumped in a corner. Strav was trying to cast some strange magics, we never found out his intent because he did not manage to complete his spell. Moxadder seemed unaffected by the gas that was being pumped into the room, but then he had contributed nothing to the days proceedings thus far as he had taken his own narcotics the previous evening and was yet to recover. Mortec and I still stood.    The mighty hammer of Holton, Mortec’s prized possession lay against the hull, beside were he had slept.     “Grab the hammer!” I yelled whilst pointing to the door.    The little Gnome reacted instantly, cursing himself for not thinking of it earlier as he swung his first blow against the thick wooden door.     Bang! The massive hammer’s head smashed against the door. Three times the Gnome struck it, before he too succumbed to the noxious vapours. It was left to me, to try to breakthrough and suck in that sweet salty air.    Bang! Bang! Bang! I relentlessly pounded the door with all my feeble might. My lungs felt heavy with the gas and my arms ached at the effort of swinging the huge hammer. Nausea and dizziness began to creep over me. I mouthed a silent prayer to Srcan goddess of both the bold enterprise I was attempting and the hope that I had and swung my last blow against the timber door.     There was an almighty crash! The door exploded outward, ripped off its hinges. The hammer was torn from my grip., embedded in the hole that it had rent in the door.    I lurched forward, propelled by the ship’s roll and  hands upon knees, gasped in dank air whilst coughing out the poison.     “Ha ha ha!” laughed Trev. “Now wha’ you gunna do?”    Slowly I raised my head and smiled. “Negotiate.”     After Trev and his boys’ mirth had subsided I managed to convince them, with brilliant bluster, bluff and double talk, to accept three hundred silver sickles (one hundred more than they had wanted in the first place I might add!) from each of us for the safe passage that Blue Pirate Platard promised, instead of killing us and taking all of our possessions.    Three days later they set us ashore at the mouth of the river Rarnas as originally planned. We had all of our belongings, sans a significant amount of money, and other than our pride, we were unharmed.</blockquote>

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