[M] Of Wind and Water: The Journey of Demi-Gods IC (DyvimxOG)

[Skeletor]

Rated M for anything that could possibly fall under that category.

(In character thread for Griphun and Old Gregg)

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

The scent of the sea breeze was very familiar to Arik, he'd been on many raids with his father and this was his first chance to lead one himself. It wasn't the biggest town they'd pillaged, though his father suggested it was best for him to start out as it can be difficult to coordinate warriors if they are too spread out. Arik argued with his father that it wasn't right for the Son of Tyr to attack such a pitiful target, that there was no glory in it. He never won fights like that with his father, Calder, was just as experienced in religion as in the art of war, being the Gothi required it. A role he was to take over when his father died, if he was deemed fit for the role. Arik halfheartedly prepared for battle, not expecting much resistance.

Hearing the lookout yell down at them, Arik looked out into the horizon, and sighted a town in the distance. He signaled for the men to ready for battle as he had orders sent out to the faster ships to split off and drop off warriors just off the coast on either side of the town to catch anyone fleeing for their lives. Arik made sure to tell the men to only fight men who could fight back, to leave the elderly, and to take any women and children captive, though it was only a formality, the men were raised to believe that the only fights worth fighting were those that brought honor to their village.

As the two ships became specks in the horizon, the town was growing larger as they approached it. It was completely unaware of what was going to happen, everyone still rising out of bed, half awake. Arik hollered at the archers to ready their arrows, lighting them to burn the ships at the docks. He lifted Tyrgeirr in the air, letting out a bellowing battle cry as he led the men into the town.

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

Arik lead the charge from the docks, cutting down anyone who would stand their ground against him and his warriors. He split his army into three groups when they arrived at the center of the town, designating it as where they would regroup after the battle and bring any prisoners, leaving a few soldiers to make sure no prisoners would try to escape. The three groups would branch out and take the town in all directions simultaneously. There was no need to worry about those who ran off, Arik was sure the men he'd sent ahead had secured the outside of the town with mounted units to intercept anyone fleeing, whether or not they had horses.

As his squad made its way through the main street, they found the militia had finally organized to retaliate. Arik laughed at their appearance; they seemed to be little more than farmers and fisherman, he wondered if any of them knew how to use the weapons they wielded. He rushed toward the feeble looking group, hoping at least one of them would pose a challenge. Swinging his spear at the crowd as his men followed close behind bashing their attackers with clubs and shields to leave an opening for a more dire attack. One of the militiamen, seeming to be the head of it all, dashed out of the way of one of Arik's swings and managed to get in close, thrusting his short sword for Arik's chest. Arik dropped his spear and blocked the blow with his buckler, as he swung his now free hand at his combatant's stomach. The man dropped his sword and doubled over as the wind was knocked out of him, Arik picked up the man's blade, slicing his throat, kicking the slowly dying man to the ground. Swapping the short sword for his spear and returning to the battle.

After the death of their commander, the militia lost any organization it once had, some of the men throwing down their weapons in surrender and others fleeing, abandoning those who still fought. As the battle ended, Arik had his men take anything of value back to the ship; whether that be gold, armaments, food, raw supplies, or anything else that looked useful. When they returned to the center of the town, Arik blew a horn, signalling victory, to have everyone regroup. He sent out two men on horseback to inform the two squads that secured the outskirts of the town to return to the docks. When they did, he was surprised to see one of the men approach him with a limp, struggling to keep a woman bound. Arik simply smiled and spoke to himself in a low tone, "I'll have fun breaking this one in."

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

Arik wiped the spit off his face, and walked over to the red headed captive, hiding amongst the children. "Such a shame, I had hoped someone as spirited as you would have the a little more to back it up." He bent down, lifting the girl's face to his by her chin, forcing her to make eye contact. "If you ever dare to stand up for yourself, do it with honor, don't just run away and hide with the innocence." He swiftly took the girls arms behind her, leading her just in front of him. Arik turned to his men "I've got this one, those of you who can, take the loot and prisoners, the rest of you hurry up and get your wounds tended to, we'll send the fallen to Odin's charge before we depart."

The prisoners were stripped of all but their clothes as they were taken to Arik's flagship, where he could handle any confrontation between them and his men, he'd make examples of both if necessary. He knew some of the younger warriors wouldn't be able to resist the urge to claim a woman or two to be his own without some negative reinforcement. He had taken the redheaded one into his quarters to be sure she couldn't start anything. He sat her down, still bound, in an empty corner, to keep an eye on her. He sat in a cushioned chair, facing the girl, and then let out a low chuckle. "You know its bad when a girl like you comes in a close second to the most challenging resistance that town had to offer."

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

Arik shrugged as he stood up, "That's all? I thought you'd have a little more fight in you, Nixie." Giving her a name of his choosing to test her patience. He knew that she would fight back if he slowly picked at her nerves, it was just a matter of time, and he had about a week to do what he needed to break her before arriving at home. He made his way over to her, circling her as he waited for a response. Her eyes said she wanted to do something, though she held back for whatever reason. "I'm trying to figure out if you're trying to find a way to kill me, or wait til you can sneak out. Even if you succeed with either, you won't, but even if you did, you'd be stuck on this boat, floating in the middle of the sea with limited supplies and no one to navigate the ship, because my men would sooner die than be ordered around by the likes of you, Nixie." He put an emphasis on the pet name, trying to make it stick in her head.

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

"HA! Now that's what I've been waiting for! The spirit that you hid away as soon as it slipped out." Arik exclaimed, happy with this small victory. Crouching down to meet her at eye level he returned to their conversation. "Ahh, how I'd love to see you try though, I doubt you've heard of, let alone deal with the kind of beasts we have back at home. They'd overwhelm your town almost as fast as we did, maybe faster without our...restraint when it comes to who we kill." He paused a moment to let his taunts sink in, while he got up in search of something to prove he wasn't just telling stories. He dug around in a chest at the end of his bed, pulling out a warg's paw. The paw was as big as a bear's, with claws as sharp as daggers. He held it out in front the girl. "This, I bet you've never seen what this came off of. Beasts are the spawn of a horrid monster, Fenrir." He returned it to the chest and locked it so Nixie couldn't use it as a weapon. "There's a reason my men and I took over your town so quickly, and we're not about to let are guard down, even if you are just women and children."

[Skeletor]

Replied

[DyvimTvar]

Morgan's comment struck a nerve, and Arik had to hold back the urge to make an example of of her to the rest of the prisoners. With a deep breath, the words "Not yet." left his lips, his calm returning to him. "You're gonna be too wily to leave unbound, aren't you?." He said as he started rummaging around his chest once more. "Can't have you sneaking off or trying to off me now, can I Nixie?" Arik pulled out a set of shackles and a short length of chain. "Gonna have to keep you on a short leash so you're stuck in that corner. He took one end of the chain an rigged it up to the stove in his quarters, then he bound Morgan's wrists in the shackles, giving a good tug on the chain to make sure it was secure. "This should keep you til we get home. Now I don't have to worry about you riling up the other prisoners, or getting any unwanted attention from my men. Some of em don't have the restraint they're supposed to have when it comes to young women such as yourself." On that note, he left Morgan to stew for a bit while he checked on things around the ship.

[Skeletor]

Replied

[Griphun]

Four days had passed. They were the slowest four days Arik had ever witnessed. It didn't help that his pet seemed almost unresponsive to him. He would give her food once or twice a day and she would still not take the bait from his taunts.
It was frustrating. He wanted nothing more than to see her squirm under his gaze and whimper to the sound of his voice. Yet, she didn't. She almost seemed comfortable. Like she was messing with him. Every time he had to feed her or return to his quarters, all he could do was grit his teeth.

On the fourth day, he decided a different approach. "So, tell me, Nixie." He sat down and picked up Tyrgeirr for cleaning. "How does it feel?" He picked up a cloth from the table and began to polish the steel head of his spear. He couldn't help but to smile a little as he spoke. "How does it feel to know that your village is burning to the ground, if it's not already." He inspected his cleaning and continued. "To know that the blood of your friends soak the very soil you lived upon so carelessly not so long ago." He set down his spear and looked over in her direction, with a smile. "To know that you will one day join them. As a slave." There was a hint of a laugh in his voice.
If this didn't make her skin crawl, he didn't know what will. All he wanted was to see her break down. That would bring back the confidence that had slowly been dwindling the passed few days. As he waited for a response, he picked his shield up for cleaning next.

[Skeletor]

Replied

[Griphun]

Even though she never responded, he felt a small victory inside. He may not have gotten what he wanted, but he felt he did. He finished his cleaning and set down his weapons where they belonged, on the wall next to his bed. He stood up, towering over the small figure huddled together in the corner and sneered. Soon, she'll break. Soon, she'll beg like the rest. Her spitfire attitude will quickly burn out and be a soulless slave. Just like they always did.
"Eat." He said, kicking the bowl of food he had set down earlier. "I don't want you to die too early." With that, he turned and walked out of his quarters. The wind had become colder. Fur wearing weather. They were nearing their homeland, where the snow fell almost all year around. Arik smiled and sighed, his breath visible in the air. "Almost home, boys." He spoke over the waves and wind. "Soon, we'll be drinking our finest mead and basking in our glory and treasures." The men cheered and raised their fists in the air. It might have been a small attack, but a victory was a victory. Arik stood on the deck of his boat and smiled as the first snowflake slowly drifted onto his cheek.

[Skeletor]

Replied