Under the whip

Being a slave sucks hard. So we released ourselves under our own recognizance. That means we escaped, killed a lot of bad guys, and threw the rest in to the big blue.

So, what happened?

Well, I had just finished my last journal entry. I got up to turn in for the night, and I passed out. I woke up with a big fat knot on my head. I tried to sit up, but I couldn't move my arms or legs. For some reason, I only wore my pants and shirt, and I could touch my toes with my fingers. The reason was they had all been tied together like some kind of twisted Christmas bow.

I had been hog tied.

I looked around. In front of me I saw Saul. He looked at me with a frown on his face. "How'd they get to us without waking us?"

I tried to shrug, but my shoulders wouldn't budge.

"You're probably wondering," a voice said, "how we captured you without waking you."

"I think we're about to get our answer," I said.

I felt a sharp pain as someone's boot smashed the top of my head. My chin bounced off the deck. I felt the taste of blood in my mouth.

"You will not speak unless given permission," a different voice said. "Do you understand?"

I gave a quick nod of my head. I knew how this game was played. If I said, "yes I understand," I'd get smacked for talking without permission. It was just like high school, only everyone had swords.

"Well, if you all weren't sound sleepers it wouldn't have been so easy," the first voice said. That brought a few chuckles from people who thought it was funny as hell.

"Let me see their faces," the voice said. I heard Anna grunt next to me. I tried to turn when I felt hands on my arms and legs. They tipped me over on my side, inducing a similar grunt out of me. I heard everyone else do the same. Part of me was relieved to know that my friends were okay. Another part was angry that we got caught so easily. Looking through Mon Capitaine's notes makes everything clear now.

The first thing I saw was a brilliant, purple sail in the wind. There was only one sail. One sail doesn't get you very far. That means you need another means of transportation.

"I am Captain Girana," a man said. He was an elf with a bad haircut, something that would be funny any other time than now. Behind him was a human and all around us were four other humans. They all looked and smelled bad. I could smell their breath even down here on the deck.

"Right now, I could kill you," Captain Girana said. "It would be easy. It would be merciful. Unfortunately for you, I am not merciful. You have caused a minor inconvenience to my lords. To them you have been no more than an irritating fly."

Based on the information we had, I think we were more than that. But I wasn't about to pipe up and say that.

"But, you do not know my lords," the Captain continued. "They are cruel, oh, quite cruel. They would not swat a fly. No, they are slow and patient."

Flies. That's what we were. Flies in the ointment. A monkey in the wrench. Yippe kiyay, mother--

"They have sent you to me," he said. "Not for me to kill you, not yet. No, first you will work as my slaves, pulling the oars in my hold. Then, perhaps you will wish to die. Indeed, you might collapse from exhaustion. But, I will resurrect you. And we will begin again."

He leaned over me, looking me in the eye. I looked back, not flinching. "I wonder how long," he said, "how many times you can survive?"

The Captain held up a small flask, one we had been keeping safe for sometime. Out of everything that happened, this is what really broke my heart.

"Oh," the Captain said. "What is this? Thinking that you might complete your little mission to help dear old Dame Gold's dear old brother? Yes, she spoke of that. My masters are most interested in this potion she had devised." He gave a mock bow. "Thank you for delivering it to me."

The Captain said something to the man behind him. They dropped a bunch of things in front of us. There was something personal from each of us. Most of our gear wasn't there, probably stowed in the hold somewhere. It looked like they had a personal item from each of us. There were two necklaces, a ring, a bracelet...and my cellphone. The thing didn't have a charge on it. I kept for sentimental reasons.

"These things mean something to you, yes?" the Captain said. "You know, maybe I will be merciful today." His crew snickered. "No, seriously. I will do our guests a favor." He picked up the two necklaces. "So very pretty. So many memories." He held them up. "I look good, no?"

"Adorable, sir," the human behind him said. They all burst out laughing.

When the laughter died down, the Captain continued. "Yes, there are many memories. But this is the first day, of the rest of your life."

More laughter. Exactly what was this jerk saying that was so bloody funny?

"Best to forget the old times, eh?" With that, he whipped the necklaces into the sea.

"No," I heard Anna whisper behind me. I doubt anyone but me could have heard her.

He did the same thing with the bracelet. He tried it on, prance around a little, much to the amusement of his easily amused crew. He spun around in his strange little dance, sending the bracelet flying into the sea. He covered his mouth with his hand in mock surprise. "Oops."

Yeah, the crew thought it was funny as all nine hells.

I think the bracelet belonged to Audry. I couldn't see her face. I didn't even know she had it. One of the necklaces belonged to Anna, which meant the other belonged to Saul. That meant the ring belonged to Marc.

"Gaudy thing, isn't it?" the Captain said, holding up the ring. "I'm doing you bunch a favor with this." And he tossed it in the drink.

The last one was obviously mine.

"Gods and demons," he said. "What in the hells is this?"

He pushed the buttons, but they did nothing. There hadn't been a charge on the phone in I don't know how long. "Useless," he said. "Very well, speak up. Who is the former owner of this...thing?"

We said nothing. He turned and kicked someone. Audry grunted in pain. "Well?"

"Mine," I said.

"Tell me what this thing is," he said.

"It's a cell phone," I said. "It can call other people with cell phones across a network in many cities."

"Which cities?"

"Oh, all kinds," I said. "Denver, Colorado Springs, Longmont--that's not a big city, but I get service--uff!"

He kicked me once more. "I'm curious as to whatever gave you the idea that today was a good day to act like a fool. Now, how does it work?"

"You need to charge it," I said.

"Charge it. It is magical."

"Electrical. Look, it works on my world, not on yours."

"Your world?" He and his crew laughed. "Tell me, how often do you walk the planes?"

"I don't," I said. "I just ended up here one day."

"How?"

"Wish I knew," I said. He kicked me again, hard. "Oh look, man, I don't know. I went to sleep and woke up here."

He prepared to kick me again and then stopped. "You know, I believe you human. I do. It confirms your identity, John Carter." He looked at everyone else. "That makes you Anna, and you Saul, so you must be Marc and last but not least Audry."

"Greetings," Saul said sardonically.

The Captain replied with a kick to Saul's ribs. "And to you as well. I suppose it's good we know each other. We'll be together for a long, long time."

Again, the crew laughed. I still didn't see what was so damn funny.

-------------

A day on the Ghoul is like a day on the farm--back breaking work that goes on and on and never ends. Even after you sleep you felt like you haven't gotten a nights rest at all, and you just do it all over again.

After the little display by the Captain they dragged us below decks and chained us to one of some thirty oars, almost all of which were manned by the most broken men you've ever seen in your life. They even strapped the girls (the only ones in the hold) to the oars.

At the front of the hold, up on a platform that looked to be level with the upper deck, was a big Arnold Schwarzenegger type of guy behind a kettle drum. He was the pacesetter. His job was to beat the drum at a certain pace and we had to row to that pace. Seen the movie Shogun? You get the picture.

Saul and I shared an oar. I guess if it we were in elementary school on a school bus on our way to a field trip of some kind, it'd be just plain dreamy. However, we were about to get the work out of our lives. I balked, staring at the oar and then at the guard who secured us.

"You gotta be kidding--"

I whip raked across my back. No, he wasn't kidding. I got busy rowing. And we rowed and rowed and rowed and....

And this was our life for the past few days. We'd get up at the crack of dawn while sleeping on the bench or the deck. Saul and I would trade off each night, as did Marc and Anna. Audry shared an oar with this fop who kept getting whipped because he wouldn't shut up. He kept talking on and on to Audry. The guy's lucky she's a Paladin. I might have beat him to a pulp even if it meant driving the oar myself.

About fifteen minutes after waking up, we'd start rowing. It didn't stop until evening. I'd go through these phases of thinking I was going to drop, and then I'd get my second wind and keep going. If I slowed down, I got whipped. The manacles cut into my wrists. Even after healing potions there are still some scars there (we all have them).

This old guy went up and down the deck giving us water. He was a slave too, but too old and infirm to actually row. The guards called him the waterboy, though the poor fellow hadn't been a boy in dozens of winters. There were only four guards, two fore and two aft. They mostly talked, not paying too much attention to us. We could get away with quiet conversation, but that's about it. Two overseers patrolled each bank of fifteen oars. We had to keep an eye on them. If they saw us talking, then we got the whip.

Everything stank. Urine, feces, unwashed bodies--it permeated everything. The only thing that kept from gagging was the fact I felt like I would drop from exhaustion at any second.

At dusk, they would order us to stop, at which point we'd fall over the oars breathing like air was going out of style. The waterboy would become the gruelboy as he and three others came around giving us bowls of gruel. It tasted like a warm bowl of snot, but I always wished I had more of it. Then we went to sleep.

I didn't dream at all. I'd close my eyes and then open them again. The night went by like that, and I was hitting the oars again.

The waterboy always nodded to us. "You okay lad," he would ask. I sure didn't feel okay. I felt like my arms were going to fall off and my back felt like it was on fire. But I knew the old man was just trying to be friendly.

-----------

About four days into it I started to hallucinate. For a little while, I thought we were in a Bally's Fitness Center. The monotonous drum music was some kind of African music being blared through the system. I imagined some babe in a leotard doing jumping jacks while I got busy on the rowing machine. "Okay!" she would shout. "Five thousand leg lifts! One! Two!"

"John?"

"Yeah," I said. I looked at Saul. He looked like how I felt. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Why would one do five thousand leg lifts?" he asked.

"Health Nazis," I said. "Maybe in California, I dunno."

I felt light headed. The day before two people dropped dead. I wondered how long before I would join them.

"I wonder how many hit points we have left?"

"John," Saul said. "You're scaring me."

"No, I'm good." I wished I were.

The old waterboy came around again. He smiled as he always does. I shook off the delusion of Bally's and came back into the real, painful world.

"Lad, you doing well?" he asked.

"Good work out," I said.

"If you can survive it." He gave me some water. "They keep your mage friend muzzled, I fear. His skills could be useful."

I nodded, passing the ladle to Saul. "How are the ladies?"

His face grew grim. "They might not stay on the oars for long."

"Lucky them," Saul said.

"No," the old man said. "It seems the Captain has other plans for them."

Damn. "We have to get out of here."

"Don't we all," the old man said. He took the ladle back and moved on down the line.

-------------

That night the bench felt like a pile of rocks. I was beat, but I couldn't sleep. I took a look around. The area was well lit by lamps so the guards could keep an eye on us, but it was still fairly dark. But it was the guards that peaked my interest.

They both sat on a bench against the deck. They nodded off periodically. One toward the back looked like he was completely asleep.

If we could get free, they'd be easy pickings. I looked at my shackles. Getting free was the trick.

Anna was two rows behind me, and Audry was two in front. They were both laying on their respective benches. They looked awful. Just the sight of them made me want to snap my chains in half.

Heavy boots interrupted my thoughts. They came down the stairs leading to the oar deck. I pretended to be asleep. It sounded like two men. They walked down the middle of the banks of oars. I heard the guards at either end of the boat snap to attention.

"Unchain the wenches," a low voice said. "Captain's orders."

I heard some chuckling from the guards. I opened one eye. Both Anna's and Audry's bank of oars were being unlocked and their manacles slid off. Marc looked up as they did. He got a fist in the face. He sank to the deck immediately. They pulled Anna off the bench. She didn't even try to resist.

Audry's rowing partner didn't even move. They knocked the end cap off the oar and pulled her away from the bench, her manacles still intact. She, too, didn't move.

"Captain wants some fun," a guard said.

"With both of them?" another said.

"You know how he is," the first guard said. "On the bright side, when he's done then we get our turn."

That brought all of them to giggling. I wanted to jump up and do something, but my shackles were firmly in place. I was as helpless as they were.

I looked up, not caring if the guard saw or not. Each guard carried their cargo over their shoulder. As they went by, Audry lifted her head up and looked at me. Her body was limp, but her eyes were full of life. She waved her hand at me briefly, her thumb and pinky extended in the hang loose sign I usually gave them.

"What are you looking at!"

I froze, thinking I had been caught awake. I looked toward the voice and realized that the guard was staring at someone else. His boot kicked a slave without missing a step. They both disappeared upstairs.

"Saul?" I whispered.

"I saw," he said. I figured he was awake. Elves really don't sleep like humans do. They sort of daydream.

"Think they can do anything?"

"Perhaps," Saul said. "We should be ready."

--------------

It didn't take long.

I stayed up, looking around. About an hour after the girls left I saw a shadow by the door. The two door guards had already gone back to sleep. I guess they're so used to the slaves being too tired to try anything they don't bother to keep too close of an eye on us.

The shadow slipped by them easily. I knew right away it was Anna. She moved down the rows until she reached two rows behind us. I heard the jingle of metal, so quiet I doubt the guards at the other end could have heard. She moved forward to our row.

"I'm tired of the exercise," she said. She reached for the lock and worked it open.

"Where's Audry?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm fine, thanks for asking." My lock clicked open. From what I could see, I could pull the manacle chains out through a metal loop in the deck. We didn't need to pop off the end cap on the oar (which would have made a ton more noise).

"Sorry," I said. "I just--"

"She's in the Captain's quarters," Anna said. She went to work on Saul's lock. "Our friend the waterboy told us that the Captain often takes advantage of female slaves. He waits until they are too tired and then has his way with them."

"I assume he was not successful," Saul said.

"Of course not," Anna said. "That old man is useful, you know?" She clicked open the lock. "He managed to get a hold of these." She passed us two small vials. "Drink it."

We did so. I felt life rushing into me. All the weariness left me. I felt like I had been on vacation for two weeks and was ready to take on the world. Or at least ready to crack some skulls."

"Healing potions," Anna said. "Couldn't find any weapons, I'm afraid."

"That's all right," Saul said. "They have them."

"Hey, what are you two doing?"

Anna disappeared behind us. That girl could hide in a field in broad daylight. I slumped over the oars. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the two guards at the fore come forward. I couldn't see the guards behind me, but I had to assume they were coming too.

Four against two. Those were actually good odds.

"I said, what are you doing!"

I pretended to be dead tired, too tired to respond. It pissed him off, but also put him off guard.

"You lazy bas--"

I jumped up, the end of my chain in hand. I pulled it free from the ring that kept us chained to the deck and wrapped it around his neck. He tried to cry out, but I head butted him. His nose flattened against the top of my forehead. I felt some of his teeth buckle as well. He slumped to the deck like a bag of laundry.

I took a quick look around. It was the guards by the door that really concerned me. Any one of them could head topside and warn the rest of the crew. I ran straight for them.

There was a flash of light from the corner of my eye. Marc had removed his muzzle. Four balls of light slammed into one of the guards. He fell, dead from Marc's magic missiles before he hit the deck. The last one turned to run. He was quick. I didn't think I could get to him before he made it top side.

Turns out, I didn't have to.

Audry stood. In the doorway. Her clothes were torn, like all of our clothes, and she was covered in dirt. Her blue eyes sparkled. The guard stopped in front of her, startled. He started to say something but she never gave him the chance. She kicked him square between the legs. It lifted him off the ground. He let out a squeal. Yes, he squealed. Our voices really do rise in pitch.

He dropped to his knees, holding his special place in his hands. She kneed him in the face, and he went down for the count.

I turned and raced the other way. No way I was going to leave the guards to Saul. Not that he needed help, but I wanted in on the action as well.

Only now were the rest of the slaves stirring from their deep sleep. Anna was busy unlocking everyone else, and trying to get them to keep quiet.

The guards had their weapons out. They didn't even bother to call out. They probably thought we were just regular slaves. Fools.

Saul and I took care of them quickly. They had some training in the use of their weapons, but they were slow. We beat them down easily. I thought of taking their studded leather, but they smelled as bad as the rest of the slaves. I settled on their weapons. They each had a dagger and a longsword. I took a sword and handed a dagger to Audry behind me.

"I want a sword," Audry said.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Captain's quarters?" Saul asked.

"Aren't you supposed to be chained to the deck?" she said. She took the sword from me. "You keep the dagger."

Saul shrugged, hefting his sword. Anna continued around the banks of oars, unlocking everyone. We urged them to keep quiet. Most looked too tired to help, but maybe could serve to shock the hells out of the crew. But if they were to be any use at all, we needed the element of surprise, which we'd lose if they made too much noise.

"Think they can fight?" Saul asked me.

I shrugged. "Not really. But together we out number them. That counts for something."

When Anna freed everyone they stood next to their oars. They stared at their surroundings and at the manacles at their feet.

"I cannot believe I am free," one of them said.

"We are not free," Marc said. He stepped in front of them, speaking with his voice just loud enough for everyone to hear, but not loud enough to carry to far. "Not yet, at any rate. We still have to deal with the Captain and crew."

"I wouldn't worry about the Captain," Audry said. "He's tied up in his quarters until further notice."

"Good," Saul said. "That leaves how many?"

"The first mate," one slave said. "Plus three officers and twenty guards, not including them." He gestured toward the four guards. Some of the slaves had gotten busy manacling them to the oars. Good thinking. "Then there are about ten other sailors."

"That's a lot," I said. "You guys up for this?"

They nodded vigorously.

"Are you sure?" Saul said. "I'll be honest with you. It's possible we will fail. It is likely at least some of us will die."

"We would die anyway strapped to these oars," another slave said. Former slave, I should say.

"Better to die on our feet," a third said.

"Better not to die at all," Anna said. That made some of the slaves chuckle. "Any ideas?"

"Yes," Audry said, eying Anna. "I have a very good idea."

-----------------

No one game down to check on us. No one. This has to be the laziest crew ever.

"No one would dare try such a thing," the old man told me, the waterboy. We managed to find him in a nearby cabin (more like a closet). "They have been at sea for over a year and nothing close to this has happened."

"Good for us," I said. "Say, what is your name anyway?"

"Godfrey," he said. "I used to live in Safeton."

"You can go back there now if you want," I said. "Hopefully, this won't take long."

The slaves, everyone of them, was ready to kill and ready to die. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that last part, just the first.

Together, we went topside. I sniffed the studded leather. Dear God, it stunk like you couldn't imagine. The fool probably had lice as well. I looked over at Saul. Both of us dressed the same. We had stripped the other two guards of their weapons, so I had a sword again. It felt heavy. I was so used to my other sword, Kantos, that I wondered if I could use this effectively.

We went up on deck, the girls in tow. Everyone on deck was fast asleep, including most of the guards. A handful of them were awake. They approached us.

"Here we go," I whispered to the girls. They both nodded.

"What is this," a guard demanded.

"The Captain's finished," I said.

"Already?" another guard asked.

"Well, he did say it had been a while," Saul said. The other guards laughed. "He said to give them to you boys."

"Don't break your toys on the first day," I said.

We pushed the girls toward them. They acted dazed and confused. The guards didn't care. They pulled them to the side and pawed at them. They didn't even notice the hoards of slaves behind us. I waited until the slaves were all on deck. They moved through the piles of sleeping sailors. The smell of dirt and grime was everywhere, but so was the smell of ale. It worked out perfectly.

I heard startled cries among the sailors. We made if further than I thought. "Now!"

At my shout, the girls pulled their daggers from beneath their shirts. They stabbed wo of the sailors who were struggling to pull their pants down (theirs, not the girls'). To die with your pants around your ankles...that's got to be embarrassing.

Saul and I joined them, cutting the remaining ones down. We grabbed their weapons and passed them back to the slaves. Then we got to work.

We out numbered them, but most of our numbers were tired. Still, the guards and sailors had a head full of ale. We fought, taking weapons from the dead and passing them to people who didn't have them. The fighting went on for some time. Marc said he didn't have many spells, but what he did have was highly effective. He cut down a number of armed guards before they could rise.

The first mate came on deck within half a minute. He took the time to put on his armor before appearing. "To arms lads, we'll--"

He stopped when he saw me. I walked toward him, cutting down two other guards who tried to stop me. "Here's the deal," I said. "You can give up, jump in the drink, or you can die."

"Or I can kill you," he said. He drew his cutlass and we fell on each other. Using this normal long sword wasn't the same as wielding Kantos, my magical long sword, but it got the job done.

The first mate wasn't bad, that's for sure. He even made a sizable gash on my upper arm. On the other side of the ship I saw Saul fighting someone who wielded javelins. Down in the mix of things, Audry carved her way through bad guys.

I nodded in satisfaction as I easily parried a thrust. We would win this.

I sliced off the first mate's hand on his second thrust. He had a nasty habit of extending his thrust too far. He cried out as blood spewed from the stump of his wrist. I spun around and tried to slice off his head. The sword wasn't as sharp as Kantos. I cut a deep gash into his head. He looked like a pez dispenser.

Satisfied, the first mate was dead, I joined the fray.

In the end, we lost twenty slaves. They fought hard, and the guards didn't have the stomach for the death that was heaped upon them. Some of them surrendered, but the slaves took no prisoners. All the crew were either killed or tossed overboard, which meant the same thing. I didn't care. They were bloody slavers after all.

A cheer went up throughout the survivors. Now we were free.

We pulled the captain to the deck. I wanted to question him. The former slaves wanted him killed.

"No," Audry said. "I have a better idea."

Boy, did she ever.

-----------

"Row you bloody dogs!" Godfrey wielded his whip quite well. The welts on our new slaves would look pretty. He smiled and gave them another set of welts.

"You're right, lass," Godfrey said. "This is a good idea."

Our little drummer boy banged away on his kettle drum. Turned out he was a slave as well. He smiled as he watched the Captain and the three survivors (the guards we didn't kill below deck) row for their life. We had the sail up full, but one sail only does so much work. Granted, four rowers on a galley designed to have sixty isn't a lot, but it sure was gratifying to watch.

"Tell them to pick it up," I said. "I feel like water skiing."

That required a bit of explanation. So much of what comes out of my mouth does.

Marc, Anna, and Audry scoured the Captain's and First Mate's quarters. Turns out they had a ton of healing potions--just enough for all the surviving former slaves. We passed them around. For many of them, it was the best day of their lives. We also found all of our gear, our gold, plus more gold.

"Pass it to the crew," Audry said. "They need it."

No one argued, not even Anna. We kept a small part for ourselves for expenses on the journey ahead, and then divided the rest among the former slaves...the crew of the Ghoul.

What we didn't find was Dame Gold's potion. We looked everywhere, but there was nothing. Dame's brother was doomed. We could do nothing.

We hoisted a new sail, one that was not purple. No point in attracting unwanted attention. One of the crew anchored himself on the side of the ship. He busied himself stripping "Ghoul" off the side of the ship. He found some paint and proceeded to put a new name on the ship. Freedom.

I felt like William Wallace. FREEEEDOMM!!

Fortunately, many of the former slaves were also former sailors, including a pilot and a navigator. The Captain also kept fairly accurate maps.

"Where to?" the navigator asked.

Good question. We wanted to go to Highport, but that's the last place we should be going in a stolen slaver ship.

"They might notice with the regular white sail," Anna said.

"But they might notice the brand new name painted on the side," Saul said. He shook his head. "We should go back to Elredd, or to Safeton."

That was a long way out of our way. We couldn't save Dame's brother, but we could save her and those captured. But I think Dame would have wanted everyone on this ship saved. We agreed. We'd head back to Elredd.

Not half a day later we encountered another ship. She headed south while we were heading north. We did our best to look inconspicuous. We gave our four rowers a break as they hauled in the oars and we waited for this other ship to pass. Only, it wasn't passing by. She was trying to come along side us.

"Can't out run her," the pilot said. "Not enough sail and not enough rowers."

"It is possible this is no slaver ship," Marc said.

"This far south?" the pilot said. "Almost no ships come to Highport."

"Ready yourselves," Saul said. "We may have a fight on our hands."

We kept up the front of being an ordinary ship. We thought of putting some people below deck to give the appearance that we did have slaves on board. But we'd only do that it looked like we were getting boarded. And from the angle of the approaching ship, that may well be the case.

I stood on the forward beam and looked at the approaching ship. She was quick, that was for sure. She approached closely, but not close enough to board us. It looked like she wanted to take a look at us. That was fine with me, if all she wanted to do was look.

The small ship came very close, close enough for me to see her name on the bow. Ewe.

I couldn't help but smile.

-----------------

The Ewe came about as we dropped our sail. She pulled along with side us with ease.

"Permission to come aboard," Captain Wolffe called.

"Permission granted," I called back. They started lowering a rowboat.

Captain Wolffe of the Ewe gave us a lift from Safeton to Elredd not too long ago. In spite of the fact he made us work the "pump" (a pile of buckets) and tried to scare us with bad weather, we actually grew to like the guy.

When he came aboard he clasped our hands vigorously. "My friends! Gods, I thought ye'd be done fer." He glanced at our wrists. Even the magic of the healing potions couldn't remove the scars from our wrists, scars we would probably bear until our dying day.

We told him our story, and he in turn told us his. He came back to port not long after he dropped us off. He heard about the incident at the Broken Rudder Inn. He heard that the Guild offered money to any ship that took us on for passage. They said they would double the amount if they would meet them out at sea. He knew the route to Highport, and he took the risk to see what happened.

"The Gods be with ye," Captain Wolffe said. "I only wish I'd found ye sooner."

"Then you would have joined us," Saul said. "No, it's better you didn't find us until now."

"Actually," Marc said, "this is rather fortuitous."

"Eh?" Captain Wolffe said. "Ye be lovin' yer big words."

I glanced at Anna. She mouthed word at me. Argh! I suppressed a smile.

"What he means, Captain," Audry said, "is that we would like to take advantage of your services once more."

-----------------------

Captain Wolffe thought we were "out of our gords." Argh. Yeah, maybe we are.

Okay, he didn't actually say "Argh," but it was implied.

"Ye just escape from the closes thing to Baator," he said, "and now ye want to go to the Abyss herself?"

"Yeah, that's about it," Anna said.

The Captain agreed, sort of. He didn't want to take us directly to Highport. He used the "wretched hive of scum and villainy" line again. I think he's a geek at heart. He made the point that a strange ship going to Highport would likely be noticed by the Slavelords. Good point. Instead, he offered an alternative.

He knew this coast "like the back of me hand." Argh. He knows this place some two days away from Highport along the coast. He'll drop us off there.

"Ye be headin' directly west fer four leagues and ye'll find the road," he said. "Follow it south and it take ye into Highport."

Argh!

"Be careful, lads and lasses," he said. "Highport is wholly owned by the Slavelords, and they not be likin' visitors."

We said good bye to the new crew of the Freedom. They thanked us for freeing them.

"We freed each other," Audry said.

They waved as we returned to the Ewe with the Captain, and then we parted ways. The Freedom sailed north to Safeton, and the Ewe sailed south to hell (or pretty close, anyway).

On board, the crew welcomed us. Every one of them remembered us and were thrilled we were okay. I had no idea how much I missed these guys.

So, we're back on a mission and ready to ride. Captain Wolffe and the crew of the Ewe think we're barmy (Argh), but we have little choice. We have to save those people, even if it means going into the depths of the Abyss itself.

Hopefully that wouldn't happen.