Soul Slave

Cost

Edward opened his eyes, he was on a ship as he could feel the rocking of the waves. They were moving, as he went to turn on his left side to get up he'd feel an aching pain in his arm, sitting up he'd look down to see his entire left arm up to his shoulder bandaged. He'd look down at his left hand as he noticed he was missing his ring finger and pinkie. Going to grab a hold of his mouth with his right hand he suddenly noticed he was completely bald.

He decided to stay in bed and ponder over what he remembered for hours as the ship was out at sea with full sails aligned with the wind. After a long enough time he donned the blouse, trousers and leather slippers left out for him. He stopped and looked around for his runeblade, there was no sign of it anywhere in the cabin he was in. With the luxury of the bed he assumed it was the captain's quarters.

Walking out to the splashes and foam of the water coming from the sides catching him in the face. He'd squint and spit out the salt water, walking up to the helmsman. "Korth..."

Korth wouldn't look at Edward, using both hands to hold the steering wheel steady; being the captain of a schooner. "Welcome aboard the Nightslayer."

The crew was bustling around to make sure everything was steady, the ship was in horrible condition as if they had just escaped a battle. Tears in the sails, cannonball holes all on the sides of the hull.

Edward noticed Dragon's Defiler in it's seathe attached to Korth's back. Korth now stared deep into Edward's eyes, "Are soldiers heroes, or killers?"

The crew began to chant a sea shanty, known by all far in wide. 'What would you do with a drunken sailor.'

"Where's Vindaes?" Edward stood next to Korth as he steered, looking to their heading.

"You killed him and my quartermaster." Korth gave Edward a glance a nod before looking out to see. "Seeing as i'll be needing a new quartermaster, and you'll need to get as far away from all human settlements... Nothing but war ravaging the countryside."

"Rhinestone?"

"I don't know." Korth answered bluntly.

"Where's our heading?"

"I'm taking you to the dwarves and dugnim may be able to honor their alliance."

"Think they'll risk breaking trade with the elves?"

Korth didn't answer that, "You'll have a place to live out your days Edward. Either be the ambassador for your race or hide away and be the last. I've done both."

"My sword."

Korth looked dead at Edward with such fury, "You expect me to hand you this?"

"It's mine, Korth."

The two stared at each other for a while, but a thunderous yell from one of the crew members interrupted them.

"Sail!" A man shouted from the crows nest.

"What is it?!" Korth responded.

"It's an elven man 'o war sir, directly ahead!"

Korth took out his spyglass and walked over to the side where he could see, looking at the incoming ship that had over a hundred gun ports on each side already opened. Turning to block the schooner dead in its tracks if it continued its course.

"Stick with the wind!" Korth closed the spyglass and looked at Edward.

"Captain?!"

Korth unstrapped the runeblade from his back and offered it over to Edward. "Do it."

Edward looked down at the sword, taking the sheathe with one hand. Flashes of his actions flashed before him, Vindaes last look in his eyes when he realized he should have ran.

Edward breathed in quickly as if coming up from underwater. Grabbing a hold of the hilt he'd pull it out with his left hand, immediately as the steel shined with the sun, green fire shot all around the weapon.

Quickly the knight sprinted over and jumped off the side of the schooner as it was going full sail. Korth watched as Edward vanished below water, he'd scream out for someone to lower his jolly roger. A skull and crossbones with a black backdrop waved in the wind, telling the elven vessel there would be no mercy.

A few seconds later the elven man of war blasted all of it's canons high in the sky as a warning shot, clouding their view of the vessel as smoke caused a fog of war to appear. The ocean's waves started to get choppy, forcing Korth to turn hard at the port side; following the wind.

Another blast of cannon fire erupted off, this time whizzing past Korth's schooner he had named 'Delilah'. Many cannon balls could be seen splashing a bit behind them on their starboard side.

"Adjust those sails to the wind, now!" Korth screamed out as another volley was headed their way.

Edward appeared on board the ship after teleporting within the water using the runeblade, the crew was running around firing away at the schooner which was getting utterly decimated. His blade lit up with a fire so high the main speed sail was set aflame right before Edward cut the mast in half; then vanishing but not onto Korth's ship.

Korth was underwater sinking into the depth as a large piece of wood had pinned him under it after the elven man of war utterly destroyed his schooner leaving him to wonder if saving Edward was a good idea at all.