Two Blades for Hire

[Curtus]

he drew a dagger from inside his clothes, and said "if ye dont tell me yer name, i'll cut your fingers off." he sirked as he said it, a dagger in one hand, and his bottle of rum in the other, drinking from it after he said this. he haddnt noticed what marcus had said.

[Idrial]

Idrial glared up at him, but made no further move. She knew that the crew would overpower her if she tried to do something stupid. "My name is Idrial." She finally consented, knowing that a name was not worth any amount of pain. The maiden leaned back against the pole, resting her head against the wood, yet keeping her eye out lest she need to move quickly.

[Curtus]

he put the dagger back in the sheath hidden in his clothes, and smiled leaving her were he was, drink more of the rum, he went off to see what had been gotten from the merchant ship

[Idrial]

Idrial watched as the captain walked away. Now that she was loosed and free to roam the ship, she walked over to the railing and leaned aganist it. Her gaze wandered out across the waves, as her mind wandered just about as far. There had to be a way to get off this ship. She didn't understand why the pirates were keeping her anyway. What use did they have for her if they just deemed her annoying. Certainly it would have been better for them just to let the maiden go back on the other ship. She also wondered what was happening to the two she'd met earlier.

[Marcus]

Several hours later that evening Marcus came back topside. He had his fill of rum and was in a good mood, thus he brought the prisoner a plate of food, most of which had been recently plundered from the merchant ship. He found the girl and sat the plate along with a jug of rum on a barrel. "Arrgh, ye dinner be served!" He then walked to the bow of the ship, singing a merry pirate song as he drank more rum.

[Idrial]

Idrial looked down at the plate that was set before her. It was really only then that she realized exactly how hungry she was. Not that this particular meal was much to be desired. But oh well, it was enough to satisfy her empty stomach. The maiden ate her fill from the plate and drank a tiny bit of the liquid, not intending to get drunk, for she knew what would probably happen if she did. When she had finally finished she pushed the plate off of the barrel, shattering it into many tiny pieces. "Oh dear me." She said softly feigning a grimace. "Terribly sorry."

[Marcus]

Marcus sat and watched as she broke the plate, which ironically had been plundered from the merchant ship, and sarcastically appologized. He took another sip from his jug of rum. "Aye, no harm done..." He swiftly pulled a knife and sent it flying towards her. He smirked as it lodged into the railing just at her side, catching a bit of her shirt. "Accidents happen, aye, now don't they."

[Idrial]

Idrial rolled her eyes and pulled the knife from the wood...though it was no easy task, releasing herself from it. "Very amusing." She said sarcastically as she tossed the knife out and amongst the waves. Surely it was the last they would see of it. Not that they didn't have enough to take its place, she guess, but oh well. The maiden placed her hands on her hips as she looked toward Marcus pleadingly. "Why won't you just release me? What good does it do you to keep me here?" She demanded.

[Marcus]

Marcus laughed. "Now 'at wern't nice at all, I right liked 'at knife." Marcus walked over next to her and pulled his dagger, pointed it at her for a moment and smirked. He swung the blade towards her, bringing it down on a rope tied near her. When the rope snapped a plank fell down leading off the side of the ship. "Now, if your in such a hurry ta leave, by all means, be me guest. The sharks gotta eat too ya know." Marcus sat down on the barrel and took another sip of rum. "Now, I was watchin back at 'at dock where ye been loadin 'at boat. I seen 'at gaurd grab 'olt a ya. Now, I bet yer no more 'en a common theif yerself, an' with so much contempt fer us out 'ere just tryin a make a decent livin."

[Envin]

Thorongil and Ash had leapt from the merchant ship ere she became aquainted with Davy Jones, and had swum 'neath the wave until they came near to the Leviathan. There thy had carefully grabbed hold of what outcroppings of wood were there, and silently came up just above the waterline. Then Ash took a deep breath, and as long as he could hold it he placed his keen ears next the hull, several times, until he found a place that was silent beyond the wood. Then he came up and found Thorongil and took him below the water. Thorongil saw the spot, and reared back with his huge sword, and plunged it full length into the wood, in a crack where two boards were caulked. Such was the strength and sharpness of the blade of Numenor, forged thousands of years ago in Beleriand, that it pierced the hull in but three strong thrusts, and water, though in not a large amount, began to rush into the ship. But such was the pressure that the gap began to widen ere long, until Ash was able to reach inside and feel about. He grinned at Thorongil, for by happy chance this spot was where the pirates had stowed the grain captured from the merchant, and when the sacks took in water there would be much expansion of the ship below decks.

Then they swam, again below the waterline, along the ship until they came to its rudder, and climbed up the back of the Leviathan, until they peeked through the railings at the rear of the poop deck. They saw distant the matter of Marcus and the girl, and they gave a united snort of approval at seeing the impudent Idrial treated in such a fashion. But there was still the matter of the pirates. Thorongil held Ash steady as he took careful aim with his cresent-shaped arrowhead dart, and let fly with his elven-sight the bolt clean through the one steering-rope bound about the wheel. Silent this was, and then he let fly another through the second, so that the steering rope was cut. Then they dropped out of sight onto the window-sill of the captain's cabin, and sat there lazily, waiting for the alarm to be sounded.

[Idrial]

Idrial's breath quickened at his accusation. "I am no common thief." She replied stiffly. "I do what I do to survive. You all could have honest jobs and earn your living. I could not." She turned her face from him, his words ringing in her mind. A common thief. Is that all she was? All she was worth? If so, she blamed the king. The High King of Gondor. She thought to herself with disgust. Because of the guards he hired, she'd seen her parents blood upon the streets. But the story made it no further than that...after all, they'd just been a bunch of thieves. So now what choice did Idrial have? She could only be a common thief.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw an arrow whiz through the air and strike down one of the crew. Though she knew not from where it came. Hopefully it had come from Thorongil and the elf. She liked them...they were the first people ever to be remotely kind to her in a long while.

[Marcus]

Marcus became annoyed with the girls comments and barked at her. "I'll not sit 'ere an be preached at by a likes a you. A thief tellin a pirate a make a honest livin! A bit a eh ole pot callin a kettle black it is! I say, a next ship a Gondor 'at sails past 'ere I'll gladly put ye aboard. Hand ye over ta 'ere guard an see 'ow ye likes a treatment ell give ya." Marcus might have ranted a bit longer but his attention was drawn elsewhere as he heard some comotion. He left the girl where she stood and went around investigating, though he saw nothing. Not a moment later though he knew somthing was amiss as he looked at the helm spinning at will... without a change whatsoever in their course. He cursed under his breath as he ran up the steps to the helm. Looking down over the railing he caught sight of the culprits. He smirked to himself as he called down to the soggy pair. "Ahoy 'ere. I say you boys ought a know 'at a penalty for stowaways be death." He laughed and as he spoke he rang the ships bell. Soon the deck was covered with pirates, swords drawn and ready to kill the stowaways.

[Faron]

"Stowaways, yes, there were a pair of them aboard. If I were you, I'd look down belowdecks, I think I saw two of them as I was coming up here," Ashuron said as he glanced at Thorongil with a This was part of your plan, right? look on his face.

[Envin]

Thorongil glanced at Ash, and then at Marcus, his voice becoming quite gruff.

"Ah dinnae stan' ter reason 'at we shid be stowaways. Ye cap'n offer us jobs as hands ere we come abard 'is ship 'ere - too bad 'es soused now. We be a'sittin' 'ere plain as plain, waitin' orders from ye. Nary a need to throw the word stowaway about. An' it please ye, we jes help ourselfs to ye crow's nes', and drink a bottle er two."

And while the pirates looked on askance, and several of the more bland scratched their heads, Thorongil and Ash stood onto the poop deck, helped themselves to several bottles of the captain's good rum that sat in a chest nearby, and quickly clomb into the crow's nest on the mainmast. Soon there came snatches of song from the tops. Then there came snatches of flame, for the two had poured rum all over the sails (after taking several liberal gulps - simply to keep up appearances, y' see - ), and Ash had shot flaming arrows all through each of the sails. Meanwhile, Thorongil had effectively hacked the mainmast nearly in twain with his abnormally large sword, and as it begin to crack, he and Ash swung along a line down to land on the forecastle.

[Curtus]

Curtuss came to the deck, and saw the sail onfire, he yelled to some of his crew "Cut the sails afore i kill ye! The Rest of you, kill those two!" he pointed at the two stowaways, and he drew his sword.