Thread: The Plunder of War (BennyQ/Alexandria94)

The battle was over, if it could be called a battle. Captain Zeno Archibald, known among his comrades as Blubberbeard for his impressive collection of slain pirate beards he collected himself, watched as his band of irregular pirates fell upon a merchant vessel. There were a few marines among the defenders but they did not hold out long as the bravest were put to death and the cowards huddled into a corner. Among the latter group were sailors and clerks who surrendered in droves. From the looks of it, this ship would only prove to be a state vessel, lacking in any kind of luxury goods. And by luxury goods he referred to liquor, smoke, and women. It was no total loss however, for the ship might hold other goods that could be sold on the black market, such as weapons. He ordered his men below decks to search as the remaining few kept a watch over the thirty or so prisoners. He was a well-built man, a veteran of many sorties. A red scar ran along his middle forehead down the right of his nose and into his lower jaw, a remainder of his close encounters. His long dark hair was messy and unkempt but his gray eyes and hawk-like nose gave an air of authority and fear over his men. Below decks the men fanned out quickly into the narrow corridors. Rooms were searched, and any persons found hiding were immediately put to death, their screams echoing the future consequence for not surrendering on time. As the men reached the lower decks, the found the precious cargo of the vessel stacked in crates and boxes. Some were so large they required several men to move. At a shout from the First Mate, the men began breaking the locks and rummaging through the cargo. They presented Ivory, golden rimmed mirrors, fine wines, and silks to the First Mate, who ordered them above decks to allow the Captain first pick of the spoils. As the men finished checking the majority of the crates, some began cracking open the larger ones. Two particular figures, all brawn and no brains, were having a crack at one. With a crack, the person to the right of the box, a brown haired fellow with blue eyes, threw down the wall and peered in. To his surprise, he saw a face with blue eyes, obscured by dust and poor lighting, peering back at him with the same expression. Hey mate, there's a more of these bloody mirrors in here. What tha devil do they need so many mirrors for ? His companion, a person with a greater sense of intelligence, struck him in the arm with his crowbar. You idiot, that's a person in there. Come out, before we gut you full of holes. When the figure didn't respond, they reached in and grabbed it out. It's a w-woman! The dim-witted one stammered in surprise, before pushing his companion away, Back off you whore's melt, I found her first. Brandishing his scimitar at his fellow, he smiled at the young girl, mouth full of rotten, yellow teeth. I'm gonna enjoy you, honey. Comon, it won't be so- his sentence cut off by a whiplash to his head, throwing him to the side. The First Mate towered over all of them. Incompetent fools! This woman goes up to the Captain first. Take her now. Rough hands grabbed her slender arms, and dragged her above decks and over the bodies of whom screams she must have heard earlier belonged to. Above decks, the sun was shining it's last rays before it vanished for the night. Zeno stood on the captured vessel's deck, enjoying a flagon of plundered wine and quite disappointed that none of the prisoners proved to be eligible for a decent ransom. Many claimed to be the sons or relatives of important figures but he disbelieved them all. What would they be doing on an admin ship like this? He paced back and forth in front of them, letting them guess at his thoughts as to whether they will be executed or taken prisoner. Suddenly, he stopped. Three figures emerged from the cabin door further up the ship, two of his men escorting a young female towards him. Why is there a woman on this ship as well? He examined this new prisoner with curiosity. She was slender, with long brown hair. Speak, woman. What purpose did you have on this ship, crewed only by men. Did they keep you for their perverted pleasures? He said with a straight face, though a smile quickly broke his firm jaw and faded. Zeno, of course, saw himself as no different.