Drifter awoke with surprise, finding himself chained in the hold of a ship after regaining consciousness. His head was spinning with pain as the bruises on his body stung again. He looked around, and saw several other men and women, all of them craftsmen, as they looked from their garments.
Trapped and chained with his fellow craftsmen, some of whom he knew by face as craftsmen coming from Coral - weaponsmiths, sailmakers, even carpenters - Drifter buried his face in his hands, not knowing what to do...
"Ship sighted! All hands on deck! Move!"
Everyone huddling in the hold looked up towards the small sealed doorway that led outside to the deck. Apparently the shout roused them all from their half-dazed states, for the Guild members seemed intimidated from the tone of their voices. Drifter, who was busily examining the locks that bound his shackles, apparently noticed the chaos only after the deck above shook with the panicking Guild merchants' agitated steps.
"It must be a pirate." a sailmaker said, peering with great difficulty towards a porthole. "I see a ship over yonder and it doesn't appear to be one of them Guild ships."
"It's a ship." a carpenter replied, looking in through another porthole. "I don't recall seeing THAT ship anywhere in Coral. Must be a stray pirate or a smuggler."
Well, if they're gonna engage the Guild ship, Drifter thought to himself, then it's just the same old cliche for us: Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"Oh, this isn't good..." the carpenter said, retreating back to his position. "It IS a pirate, just by looking at the flag they just raised! And for hell's sake it's a Coral Pirate. They're gonna engage this ship!"
"Oh, great, that's just great then, isn't it?" a fletcher said. "First we get dragged by our heels by these Guild scum to who knows where and now we get pirates on this ship's tail!"
"Relax, maybe they won't sell us as slave cargo." Drifter told the agitated fletcher, his eyes still on the intricate lock. "If he's a Coral Pirate as you all say he is, then he should recognize us all, right? I mean, we are all from Coral."
"Well that's easy for you to say, boy." the weaponsmith replied sarcastically. "I've seen privateers in Coral that treated us no lesser than their cargo. We may all come from Coral but that doesn't assure us that we won't be taken in by these goons for some extra loot."
Drifter just shrugged and turned the heavy lock in his hands. Somehow he feels that this one won't turn out like the brutal raids he has heard of from the Coral taverns.
Their conversation, however, was interrupted as the Captain and a merchant, followed by several sailors barged in at the hold, standing in front of the captured craftsmen.
"Captain, we'd better just hand them down to the pirates when they board us." thhe merchant said, addressing his companion nervously. "We won't stand a chance!"
"Nonsense!" the Captain replied angrily. "I won't part with these prizes, not by a lungshot! We will just have to outrun them or hide the slaves before the pirates board us!"
The Captain turned angrily to the craftsmen.
"You lot! Stay there in that corner!" the Captain ordered, a whip lashing out from his hand and causing the craftsmen to huddle on a corner, still chained together. At a brisk hand gesture of the Captain, the sailors immediately heaved several huge crates and barrels in the corner, effectively concealing them from sight.
"B-but Captain, will this suffice?" the merchant said. "I doubt the pirates are that stupid not to look there!"
"B-be quiet! You will be the end of me!" the Captain replied nervously. "Those precious minds must not be taken away, not when we're almost near the place where the Fair Folk would meet us for them!"
"Y-yes, Captain. I am sorry to have argued."
"All right, boys!" the Captain yelled to his sailors. "Time to show these pirates what we're capable of!"
As the Captain, the merchant, and the sailors all ran back up to the deck, the huddled craftsmen now watched at the portholes in their corner with baited breath as the Coral ship steered closer to the Guild ship.
Only Drifter was unmoving, thunderstruck by the Captain's words.
The Fair Folk...?!
"LOOK OUT!"
The carpenter pushed Drifter aside as arrows shot through the portholes, shattering glass and hitting the cargo crates that served as their "cover". Drifter barely had time to react as the man shoved him to a corner along with the other craftsmen.
"They're shooting at us!" the sailmaker cried, chancing a peek through the porthole. "And it looks like the ship's changed course."
"What IS happening outside?" the blacksmith said agitatedly.
Drifter caught each man's words, but his mind continuously dwelled on the Captain's sinister words. The Fair Folk... the tragedy... the abduction... Everything returned to him once more, the horrors of his dark past.
Trapped and chained with his fellow craftsmen, some of whom he knew by face as craftsmen coming from Coral - weaponsmiths, sailmakers, even carpenters - Drifter buried his face in his hands, not knowing what to do...
"Ship sighted! All hands on deck! Move!"
Everyone huddling in the hold looked up towards the small sealed doorway that led outside to the deck. Apparently the shout roused them all from their half-dazed states, for the Guild members seemed intimidated from the tone of their voices. Drifter, who was busily examining the locks that bound his shackles, apparently noticed the chaos only after the deck above shook with the panicking Guild merchants' agitated steps.
"It must be a pirate." a sailmaker said, peering with great difficulty towards a porthole. "I see a ship over yonder and it doesn't appear to be one of them Guild ships."
"It's a ship." a carpenter replied, looking in through another porthole. "I don't recall seeing THAT ship anywhere in Coral. Must be a stray pirate or a smuggler."
Well, if they're gonna engage the Guild ship, Drifter thought to himself, then it's just the same old cliche for us: Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"Oh, this isn't good..." the carpenter said, retreating back to his position. "It IS a pirate, just by looking at the flag they just raised! And for hell's sake it's a Coral Pirate. They're gonna engage this ship!"
"Oh, great, that's just great then, isn't it?" a fletcher said. "First we get dragged by our heels by these Guild scum to who knows where and now we get pirates on this ship's tail!"
"Relax, maybe they won't sell us as slave cargo." Drifter told the agitated fletcher, his eyes still on the intricate lock. "If he's a Coral Pirate as you all say he is, then he should recognize us all, right? I mean, we are all from Coral."
"Well that's easy for you to say, boy." the weaponsmith replied sarcastically. "I've seen privateers in Coral that treated us no lesser than their cargo. We may all come from Coral but that doesn't assure us that we won't be taken in by these goons for some extra loot."
Drifter just shrugged and turned the heavy lock in his hands. Somehow he feels that this one won't turn out like the brutal raids he has heard of from the Coral taverns.
Their conversation, however, was interrupted as the Captain and a merchant, followed by several sailors barged in at the hold, standing in front of the captured craftsmen.
"Captain, we'd better just hand them down to the pirates when they board us." thhe merchant said, addressing his companion nervously. "We won't stand a chance!"
"Nonsense!" the Captain replied angrily. "I won't part with these prizes, not by a lungshot! We will just have to outrun them or hide the slaves before the pirates board us!"
The Captain turned angrily to the craftsmen.
"You lot! Stay there in that corner!" the Captain ordered, a whip lashing out from his hand and causing the craftsmen to huddle on a corner, still chained together. At a brisk hand gesture of the Captain, the sailors immediately heaved several huge crates and barrels in the corner, effectively concealing them from sight.
"B-but Captain, will this suffice?" the merchant said. "I doubt the pirates are that stupid not to look there!"
"B-be quiet! You will be the end of me!" the Captain replied nervously. "Those precious minds must not be taken away, not when we're almost near the place where the Fair Folk would meet us for them!"
"Y-yes, Captain. I am sorry to have argued."
"All right, boys!" the Captain yelled to his sailors. "Time to show these pirates what we're capable of!"
As the Captain, the merchant, and the sailors all ran back up to the deck, the huddled craftsmen now watched at the portholes in their corner with baited breath as the Coral ship steered closer to the Guild ship.
Only Drifter was unmoving, thunderstruck by the Captain's words.
The Fair Folk...?!
"LOOK OUT!"
The carpenter pushed Drifter aside as arrows shot through the portholes, shattering glass and hitting the cargo crates that served as their "cover". Drifter barely had time to react as the man shoved him to a corner along with the other craftsmen.
"They're shooting at us!" the sailmaker cried, chancing a peek through the porthole. "And it looks like the ship's changed course."
"What IS happening outside?" the blacksmith said agitatedly.
Drifter caught each man's words, but his mind continuously dwelled on the Captain's sinister words. The Fair Folk... the tragedy... the abduction... Everything returned to him once more, the horrors of his dark past.
******
The Fair Folk was responsible for taking his parents away when he was still a child entering the early stages of puberty. They were both good craftsmen themselves and often accompanied merchants and privateers alike to ensure the ship sails in top shape even while at sea. Drifter accompanied his parents during these travels, particularly because his father wanted him to learn how their trade was like.
However, as the merchant ship they were contracted into strayed close to the regions far West, they unfortunately encountered the Fair Folk. They were chased at sea for three relentless days and nights until they were caught midway back to Coral. The Fair Folk boarded their ship and, meeting resistance from the crew, overpowered and took them all. Only he survived, after being cleverly hidden by his father on a special room under the hold's floor that he fashioned for smuggling.
But Drifter's ears were not spared from hearing the anguished cries of the crew and of his parents as the Fair Folk caught up with them and forcibly took them. He stayed there for days until he was found by several smugglers who happened to come across their abandoned ship while heading for Coral. He was brought to Coral and moved on with his life holding on to this sinister tragedy.
******
"NEVER!" Drifter suddenly burst out, making the other craftsmen stare at him with shock.
I won't allow myself to be handed down to those scum... NEVER! - he repeated upon himself.
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