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The Depths of Madness 7 (story)
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Post by
oneforthemoney
The next day had an even tenser air about than the one prior. Ned had at first thought it impossible for such an occurrence yet, as he came up on the deck once again with the captain’s meal much like the prior morn, he could not help but shudder in fear at the atmosphere. Where the air yesterday was filled with tension the ambience now was fairly saturated with it like a choking miasma. The crew wore their weapons openly, daggers flashing in the sunlight with clear menace and warning and everyone avoided one another to a certain distance, when objects needed to be traded they were done so hastily as possible, both sides retreating once finished.
It became all the more obvious when Ned moved across the deck. Whereas the previous day he had been able to sneak around all the crew, today he could feel the eyes of many watching his motions clearly, their gazes moving off him as soon as he was beyond the distance of a knife blow. Ned shuddered slightly at the murderous stares but did as Beldrum had advised him, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact with all, lest he be constituted as challenging.
Halfway across the deck he was jostled by another crew member, the bandana wearing man turning to glare at the human with a low growl before departing once assured Ned had been thoroughly cowed. Following that incident the teen hurried across the deck, the trip seeming to go on forever until he finally made it to the door of the captain’s cabin, nerves in a far worse state than beginning suffice it to say.
There Ned knocked on the door, doing so by kicking it lightly with his foot. “Eh, whosit?” The voice of the captain demanded from within the cabin.
“It’s Ned, the galley boy. I, um, have your breakfast.” Ned called to the cabin, glancing behind him nervously to make sure his voice had not offended nor garnered notice from any of the crew milling about.
“Just bring ‘er in.” Ned shifted awkwardly. Beldrum had been implicit in his instructions of what Ned should do at this point, his advisement that the teen should not go in and be alone with the captain lest the crew grow suspicious.
“I, um, can’t. My hands are full with holding the tray.” Ned retorted quickly. A grumbled complaint resounded from the other side of the door followed by the clopping footsteps Ned had begun referring to belonging to Karfiz. The door was thrust open moments later to reveal the stocky Goblin sporting a glower on his face.
“Fine, give ‘er ‘ere.” Karfiz demanded, snatching the tray to, where Ned had struggled beneath the weight, heft it with contemptible ease. Ned turned to depart only to nearly slam into the broad chest of a sailor. The youth looked up to meet the smouldering eyes of the seaman glaring down at him in simmering rage.
“E-excuse me.” Ned quickly squeaked as he attempted to move around. But he was forestalled when the sailors iron like grip snatched his wrist, holding the galley boy in place like a shackle forged of flesh. Ned glanced back to the sailor, fear in his eyes as he stared at the sailor.
“Eh? Peter, what the fel’re ya doin’ in front of my cabin.” Karfiz demanded with a sharp scowl, lowering the tray to the ground slowly in favour of placing his hands on the pommel of his sword and butt of the pistol respectively, silent warnings clear.
Peter did not tear his eyes from the youth locked in his grasp, even as he addressed his captain in a polite but clipped tone. “Captain, if you reach into the kids pocket could you tell me if you find a copper watch with the engraving P. T.” The Goblin narrowed his one eye, slowly and gradually moving a hand planted on the pistol to the youth’s pocket. After rummaging around for a moment the captain pulled free the item in question.
“It’s ‘ere. What about it?” Karfiz demanded.
Peter narrowed his eyes at Ned, forcing himself not to grin in satisfaction his ploy had succeeded. It had actually been contemptibly simple, merely knock into the youth and make sure that he slipped his watch into Ned’s pocket. Of course he, like the rest of the crew, had few items of obviously personal and precious nature, life at sea making such items retention precarious at best. However, each had few objects, and that of course meant they were extremely dear to each sailor. As a result, the punishment for stealing was severe indeed.
Peter had that watch, an item he had picked up in Menethil Harbour from a gnomish tinker, inscribed with his initials in some nameless port they had stopped in later. He held that clock in extreme regard, the wound timepiece his sole real physical treasure. But most importantly in this matter, it was easily identifiable as his.
Peter was well aware Ned had no experience with true combat, the closest thing he had come to a knife would be a kitchen blade. As such he would have no trouble disarming Ned, and when he killed the teen he could merely attribute it to rage of having his watch stolen, and the steady pile of stress form recent events would only compound his reasoning to the rest of the crew.
Regardless, he was going to make sure Ned did not see the light of day again.
“This kid stole it.” Peter declared loudly, garnering the attention of most of the on duty crew. The other members of the ship paused in their activity, their eyes travelling to train on the scene before the captain’s cabin.
Karfiz scowled slightly at that. Were they… testing him? Perhaps it was some ploy of the crew to attempt and undermine his authority for the measures by having him make an exception for Ned. The captain glanced at the youth in question, whose skin had the unhealthy pallor of fear and confusion tainting it, his breath held in horror at what was happening about him. The goblin felt sick, but knew that he would have to punish the youth if worst came to worst.
“When would ‘e ‘ave a chance ta do that?” Karfiz asked, hoping his query would be taken as just that and not the challenge it truly was. He would give Ned a chance, at least. It was really all Karfiz could do, held captive from aiding Ned by his own rules.
“Probably while I was atop yesterday on watch. Likely just snuck into the crew’s quarters and snitched it thinking I wouldn’t notice. But I saw the chain peeking out of his pocket when he bumped into me.” Karfiz frowned darkly, but he had nothing left to offer in retort.
The captain glanced to Ned who was eying the both of them in terror absolute. “Well kid, wha’dya have ta say?”
“B-but I did-didn’t do a-anything!” Ned fervently denied, green eyes pleading for them to believe him.
“Are you saying I’m a liar?” Peter demanded hotly, his eyes narrowed in spite and rage.
“Wh-what? N-no th…” Ned began before being cut off by the sailor.
“So you admit it.” The sailor shot at him. Ned looked around helplessly but the crew gave no signs of interfering, and Karfiz had adopted a stony expression of neutrality when Ned turned to him.
“Well boy, d’ya challenge ‘is claim?” Karfiz asked, his sole eye darting at the knife in Peter’s belt meaningfully. Ned instantly understood the implication of the gesture and paled even more, blood abandoning his face like rats from a sinking ship. At that moment all he could think of was the glassy eyes of Harrison, blade sticking from his body and blood seeping into his shirt.
Ned shuddered and shook his head. “I-I don’t w-want to duel.” He fervently declared. Karfiz sighed; he had been afraid of that, but not surprised.
“All right then. According to the measures, theft from another crewmember results in returning the item, and forty lashes from th’ cat o’ nine tails.” Karfiz grimly declared. There were several sharp intakes of breath and more than a few winces. Pitying looks were cast toward the galley boy from the crew at that declaration. That many strokes from the whip would likely kill someone like Ned.
The crew were not unsympathetic, after all they were not monsters. A duel was one thing, Harrison had agreed to it and it had been a very slight chance he would be killed. But this… This was an execution, one that was unavoidable. Karfiz could not dismiss the punishment, to do so would undermine his position as judiciary power aboard the vessel. His hands were tied by his own red tape.
Ned gasped and tried to take a reflexive step away only to have Peter’s grip forestall him from fleeing even a centimetre from his fate. “Where do you think you’re going?” Peter asked rhetorically, a slight smirk working his features.
“Back to me bloody kitchen that’s where!” All eyes turned to the boisterous and bellowing voice, the crowd parting to reveal Beldrum with a glower standing at the entrance to the galley. The dwarf stalked forward, boots thudding on the planks of the deck like booming thunder of an encroaching storm. Eventually the cook reached the trio and grabbed Ned’s arm, tugging the youth towards him and making Peter stumble slightly at the sheer force in the stocky humanoids form.
“Come ‘ere ye git. What the devil ‘re took ye so long to come back. I’ve ‘alf a mind ta box yer bloody ears!” The dwarf groused irritably. Peter snarled at the insistent dwarf and yanked the youth back towards him harshly.
“In case you didn’t know he stole from me. And I want justice.” Beldrum glowered up at the sailor with narrowed eyes.
“What the devil ‘re you talkin about? When’d this ‘appen?” Beldrum demanded furiously. Peter glared back, his fingers digging into Ned’s arm at the delay of ending the witness of his crime.
“Yesterday most likely, while I was on deck. He snuck into the crew’s quarters and pilfered my watch.” Peter declared.
“Ye bloody barmey? ‘E was with me in the kitchen aside from deliverin’ th’ captains meal. Ye probly just dropped it 'nd ‘e picked it up off th' deck ye butterfingers.” Beldrum cast Ned a quick glance, the meaningful look not lost on the teen.
Ever since Beldrum had made his appearance Ned had felt a growing sense of relief. Justified too if the glance the dwarf had shared with him had anything to say for it. Now, Ned had calmed down enough from the myriad of questions and accusations, senses returned enough so that he managed to realize precisely what the dwarf intended.
“Y-yes! Exactly.” Ned agreed with an animate nodding of his head, resembling an item Karfiz had once seen in a fellow goblins shop of curios. There were a series of them, amusing caricatures of prominent figures in Azeroth, and when flicked their comically oversized heads would bob as if nodding.
But that was neither here nor there.
“Ye see. Th’ lad was with me all day.” Beldrum declared, his tall voice reaching the ears of everyone aboard the deck. The crew murmured amongst themselves at the new development, the cook presenting a compelling case.
“Well he probably snuck away from you and snatched it.” Peter retorted fiercely. There was a momentary silence from Beldrum, the dwarf releasing Ned to turn fully and face the other sailor.
The old dwarf's mind was abuzz with thought, for what reason could Peter possibly have for trying to push the duel so much?
Then Beldrum realized his fear had become manifest. The sailor must think that Ned was acting as an informant. He cursed the momentary negligence of his that put the teen in the position he was in now. It was his fault, and he would have to deal with the problem as best he could.
“Did you just call me a liar?” Beldrum asked evenly.
“So?”
“You just insulted me.” Beldrum growled fiercely, brandishing his hook before him with menace. “And I demand satisfaction!” He barked with a snarl of fury. Karfiz gazed at the cook in abject surprise, much the same as Peter was though he rebounded quickly with a scowl of equal strength.
“Fine.” Peter spat back, his temper at being thwarted making him brash.
Beldrum stalked down to the deck, Peter following closely as the crew parted respectively. Once in the more open space the crew gathered around, much as they had what seemed like a lifetime ago to Ned, when Harrison and Thrag had battled.
Ned chewed his lower lip nervously as he watched the pair face off, Peter drawing his dagger almost at once and brandishing it horizontally, a tongue flicking across his lips eagerly. Beldrum stood, resolute as a mountain and drew his own blade, a sharp kitchen knife, with an edge lean and sharp as a starving sailor. Karfiz muscled his way to the front of the crowd, shoving crew aside to give him a wide space for himself, keeping any of the crew from being too close.
“Right, begin!” Karfiz bellowed. Peter did not even wait for the final syllable to fade, charging forward almost instantly with his dagger low to gut the cook. He had a far longer reach then Beldrum, an advantage he intended to fully exploit in the duel.
Sadly, Peter failed to think fully on the military strength of the cook. In a match such as this, Beldrum had the distinct advantage of wielding a second weapon. As the dagger stabbed forward the dwarf’s hook lashed out, letting the sharpened blade slip beneath the curve of his artificial hand. With a flick of the hooked limb the knife was ripped from Peter’s hand, several crewmen ducking quickly to avoid the spinning blade as it flew past, clattering on the deck several yards away.
The now disarmed duelist stared in dumbstruck shock at his hand which had so recently held his knife, the mind not yet processing what had occurred. In that moment of stupefaction Beldrum’s other hand lashed out, a leathery fist smashing into the sailor’s mouth. Peter fell to the deck with a shout of pain, hands planted on the wooden surface reflexively to break his fall.
Peter glanced to the dwarf to see the bearded man standing before him like a vengeful deity ready to mete out justice. Beldrum raised a booted foot, Peter’s eyes widening in horror as he realized the dwarf’s intent. Then, with a stony expression he slammed his heel down on Peter’s knife hand viciously.
The sailor screamed in pain though Beldrum ignored it, grinding until several sickening cracks resounded across the deck. Only then did Beldrum remove his foot, revealing the mangled remains of Peter’s hands upon the deck, more akin to a crushed insect than the limb it once was.
“That be first blood.” The dwarf declared grimly. Beldrum was not a cruel dwarf, he did not take pleasure in causing others pain. But he knew that as long as Peter could wield a dagger, Ned would ever be in danger of the other sailor challenging him to another duel.
And maybe, just maybe, Beldrum would not be there next time.
Post by
oneforthemoney
Okay, now we actually get to the part where stuff starts really happening. Bit of a long chapter but I had trouble finding a good place to cut it off.
Post by
Morec0
And so the tension builds! The captain seems to be losing control of his ship, or at least I see it that way. Ned's also in danger, and I don't think that Peter will play by the rules after what just happened to him. Waiting on the next part.
Post by
oneforthemoney
It's out.
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