Little Girl - Volume III - Friends
(Recommended Themesong: Stan Bush - Dare)
Chapter one: Separation
Two years have passed since her uncle found her on the city streets.
"Ye learn fast, Ann." - He smiled at her proudly, under that remarkable red mustache slowly turning grey like his hair, as she picked another lock in a ship's storage. The cheerful attitude of the middle-aged man soon became that of hers and countless hours of laughter almost made her forget what happened to her mother. Almost.
On the city streets they walked holding eachother's hand, like father and daughter, proud and free.
"Ey! 'at's the man trickin' me wit' a bag o' rocks two years ago!" - they heard from the crowd and turning back they saw the same merchant from back then. Guards started moving determinedly in the mass crowd towards them.
"Anni, yew must run now, girl."
"I won't leave ya alone Uncle"
"You must run. Go. I'll be fine." Guards getting closer. Anni looked at the once smiley face now more reminding her that of a fox cornered by hunters.
"But I.." Sorrounded. Nowhere to run.
"Anni, go. I'll find yew th' way i found yew fer the first time."
"Take my bags and GO!" he shouted and punched a guard square in the nose. Anni tumbled through between the guard's legs and disappeared in the crowd only to hear the charges being read on the old rogue.
"Ey! Don't let th' child git away! thar she goes!" Yelled the merchant.
Guards running after her, but turning around the corner she managed to jump into the sewer grate wide open , like a rabbit escapes its hunters descending its hole.
"Lizardfolks and stag beetles down there." Said one of the guards shaking his head.
"She won't survive for an hour" added the other.
"Sigh. Let's go."
"Poor little girl" mumbled one of them.
Chapter two: Newae
Anni, sitting in a gap in the sewers suddenly heard some hissing sounds. Looking through a bar she noticed a dire spider struggling a huge green figure with a greatsword.
"Ss'ame creatssure... It will... Hss DIE!" shrieked the green form of man with a fork like tongue and cut the spider in half. "We kilss other creatssuress." He noded and walked off. The heavy steps of the massive figure grew distant and Anni shuddered with unspeakable fear flowing through her nerves like molten lava burns its way through virgin soil.
A few seconds later a dark skinned, white haired girl - about Anni's size - climbed out of a nearby hole in the wall shaking her head with arrogant contempt.
"Another down. I should train them better." She muttered picking up a torn leg of the dead spider, putting it in one of the countless bags hanging by her side. She stood somewhat shorter than Anni with already feminine features despite her age. Her movements were better coordinated and altogether more dexterous than that of a human child, while her deep red eyes, apparently seeing well in the darkness, flashed with passion unknown to human nature. Her ragged clothes spoke of several years spent in the tunnels beneath the big city.
"Oh well. At least I've got my meal." Anni, seeing no other choice, removed the bars and stepped down on the slippery sewer floor slowly.
"Uh.. hi?" She waved to the dark-elven child.
"Hi.." replied the latter with a curious expression on her face. They examined eachother with cautious curiousity, both of them being as interested as frightened at first.
"I'm.. really sorry that your.. spider died?" She went on, pointing at the remains.
"It's okay, i've got a few more back in my lair." Replied the dark elf with some relief.
"My name is Anni" She said taking a step closer while the other one also approached her carefully. They circled one another once, also paying attention to the corridor to where the huge reptilian humanoid disappeared.
"I'm Nawae. You can also call me Nawieng, if that's easier for your tongue. What are you? I've never seen anybody with so pale skin." Her nostrils moving she slowly took in the human child's smell, relaxing even more. She is a creature like me, she thought.
"Oh. I don't know. I'm a girl like you i guess. I don't know about the skin." Anni took a slow step towards her again, examining her closely. Her eyes drifted to the adorably pointed ears. She had seen an elf before, but not one so dark skinned and special.
Shrugging at that, Nawae carefully touched Anni's hair.
"Red." She snickered. "You're different. And you speak common. Must be a surfacer. Well I gots no choice but to take you with me or you might even die with these green things around." She took Anni's hand, leading her.
"Well you're different than me too. And I think if we stay together we might even beat one or two up.." She replied smiling, taking a hold of the black hand, feeling somewhat safe once again.
"Nope. I've seen them kill people sent to find me. Better avoid them." She sighed. "At least I'm not alone. Come."
They climbed up back to the hole full of spikes and broken pieces of weapons. The terrible smell crept into Anni's nose making her hack and cough. The elf handed her a large piece of cinnamon which she started to chew without any questions asked.
"Only our size fits through. And the spiders." Said Nawieng. "The green-folks shred themselves to pieces trying to squeeze through."
"I see... Clever. I've got some traps in my bags. Few of them can be used until they get rusty."
"We'll keep them dry then."
Exiting the corridor crawling on their knees they reached to a cavern lighted by only the makeshift campfire which Nawae seemed to intend to keep burning, not having any other source of fire at all.
"Whoa... It's very dark in here."
"That's the way I like it. My people live in the dark."
"Okay...? Looking around she discovered tree roots.
"Are we under the forest?" she asked.
"Yes. But there's not a big enough hole for us to fit through. There are a few under the old dry tree, that's where the fresh air comes from. The caverns reach long and deep down, but none of them deep enough to where i used to live."
"Oh... So it's safe?"
"My spiders will need to learn to leave you alone. You can kill them if they attack you, no problem."
"Okay... what do we eat?"
"The spider that died back there."
"Oh. Tastes good?
"No. But it's good for you. We'll cook it on the fire so the poison will be no longer there."
"Okay.."
After a not so decent meal of spider flesh they soon went to sleep. Newae didn't seem to need much of that and has always been awake by the time Anni woke up, often mocking her for needing that much sleep, while she got her share of laughs from the physical weakness of the elf.
"Ngh... Will you help me with this log already? I can't lift it on my own it's too heavy!" Growled Nawieng. Anni walked over, took the log on her shoulder, grinning at her companion and put it out of the way easily.
"Yew don't sleep enough 'at's why yer such a wimp." She giggled, the other one grimacing at her and walking back to trying to rid the lair from the cobs of web their spiders had left.
The following four years spent in the sewers with Nawieng taught Anni about true survival. Not being seen. Avoiding contact. Escaping.
Chapter Three: Lazarus
Right before sunrise, when there is already some light creeping among the alleyways of the big city, they would always prowl the market square, looking for a few pieces of fruit, vegetables, potatoes or fresh bread, ridding the market carts from these goods when there was nobody looking. They would even nick a pie every now and then, from one lower window or another. Newae was good at using every opportunity she'd get to stuff something shiny in her bag as well.
Not any different from any other day, she thought and prodded Anni to wake up already.
''Up with you already, you lazy bugger.''
''I'm upping, I'm upping'' Mumbled the young human girl, rubbing the Sandman's gift from her eyes, and in a matter of minutes they were already walking the still shady backstreets, involved in their usual Free Shopping.
''Ey, somebody catch those kids! Darned bastards! THIEVES!'' They heard from a distance behind them, a middle aged, skinny woman running after them with a broom , tripping in her own apron.
They ran.
Hiding behind a shady alley?s abandoned market stand, they sat down to catch their breaths.
''Well, at least we have the loot. Don't we, Anni? Anni?'' The dark-elven child took a look at her human companion. She was breathing heavily, apparently very frightened, holding onto her bag of goods. But the bag was empty.
''What is wrong with you?!'' She growled, tearing the bag from a shivering and shaking Anni's grasp. Newae was about to scold her for losing the food in the riot, when they suddenly witnessed one of the back doors ram open and a young boy their age flying out through it, with two half-orcs following, apparently in no pleasant mood.
''Oh damn, damn, damn'' Muttered Nawieng. ''Not good... that poor cabin boy is going to get his tuchas kicked by those huge... Anni? Anni?! Where did that stupid human go?''
Cornered, the ten year old boy took a scimitar from the back of his belt and rose it high in front of himself.
''Well you are not only handsome and intelligent but smell pleasant too. Come on, I'm sure as heck to gut at least one of you.'' He barely finished the sentence when one of the towering thugs hunched forwards with a painful face expression, turning his head back to see who threw something hard at the back of his head, only to be hit with another rotting coconut, square in the face.
''Hey, uglies! Ov'ere!'' The redheaded girl called out to them, hitting them with more coconuts from an abandoned stand of rotting fruit. They decided to , well, investigate and perhaps even castigate. Of course the first three steps they took was their last three steps as they stepped right into the pond of soapy water Anni had set up for them before her daring act, sliding straight into the next alley, on their buttocks, yelling something unpleasant on their own language.
''You alright?'' The boy looked rather surprised and amused at the same time.
''Sure, I was about to, like, do what you did, redhead.'' The response, the sarcastic smile, the attitude was new, and pleasant to Anni who had barely seen humans of her own age and at those occasions it was usually when some of the urchin gangs tried to capture Nawieng, ''The Monster'' as they called her, and they had to fight back.
''Yeah, right.'' She giggled and turned around, only to see her dark-elven companion approach them running, with the bags on her back.
''Anni! Anni! What the bloody darkest holes of...'' She paused, looking at the boy as Anni looked at her, as if about to say something. She threw her arms in the air irritated. ''Ooh no you don't. One human is enough to take care of already. What do you think I am an orphanage?''
''He needs our help!'' Anni responded. The boy stood there, observing them for a moment, looking from one to the other as they went on with their squabbling.
''He doesn't. He got into his own trouble. Who said anything about..'' He shrugged, turned around and started walking away.
''But he almost got killed by those bullies!''
''I don?t care, look at yourself, you didn't bring any food for yourself and now a lots of people seen us!'' By the time they finished arguing, the boy was already gone.
''Now look what you've done! He's gone!'' Sighed Anni and pulled her bag from Nawieng's grasp.
''Me? What have I done exactly? Got us food for today? Excuse me?'' Anni gave her an annoyed glance and started running after the boy, through the narrow alleyways of the city.
''Fine. Be that way. I don't care. You're just a burden anyway. Yeah. Run away. That's it.'' Newae grunted, turning away for a moment, but then she paused, sagging her shoulder in an aged sigh and set off to follow the follower.
''We are so going to get into trouble... and that on an empty stomach!'' She grumbled to herself, and had yet no idea how right she was.
Chapter Four: The Ship
The Santa Veronica. Probably the largest ship out there, with titles such as the Cannon Queen, the Battle Maid and the Lonely Lady, still holding its own record at the largest amount of gunpowder on board, the largest employment, and among hushed whispers of the darkened taverns of sea sides along the seven seas, as the one with the vilest double crossing pirate of a captain the Mother of All Seas has ever endured on her waters.
The Veronica originally belonged to the East-Kallahan Trading Company but soon its captain, well, decided, that he would rather Sixblade Horton to command it, while he?d take a jump off the twenty feet plank. While the ship was docked. On the side where the ground was, too.
That said, Horton had nothing to do with being emotional and even if he ever knew what a heart is, he probably sold it in the same package with his honor, his mother, AND his Hygiene Personale.
''Missterr Rrobinss. I am mosst pleased by yourr efforrtss at rrecovering my trreassurae, arr.'' He sat back pompously with his keg belly and his ornate captain?s jacket not quite matching in size, the buttons barely keeping said jacket from popping apart, and the expensive cigar he?d been smoking not quite concealing his terrible breath of twenty-four rotting teeth, or, the stench thereof.
'' Yes, sah. Ah's behn look'n fow'd tew show?'n yah tehs ahtefacet behfoh, aye.'' Said the thin man, who would remind you of a bird of some sort. With his long neck craned forwards, his thin hunched figure, and his remarkably large, hooked nose, he was somewhat comic a sight. Carefully he stood up, motioning the captain to follow him to a corner at the inn. Little did they know that they''ve had company, in the person of the young boy, followed by one girl that was, in fact followed by yet another girl.
''Ah, there it is.'' Hiding on the other side of the unused bar the two villains set their object of mystery on, Anni peeled curious eyes to see what was going on. Spotting her, the boy motioned for her to get lost, but she folded her arms and shook her head, refusing to move. The boy kept gesturing more forcefully, while Newae sat in a safe shady corner out of their sight behind a clothing stand on which several cloaks and coats would conceal her perfectly. In her increased gesturing, the boy managed to hit the table's leg which made both men's cups of rum fall on the ground. He sat back under the table cloth in silent fright, hoping that they?'d miss to notice him.
No such luck. The cloth rose and there he saw the velvet pants of the captain, with his long rapier pointed right at him.
Anni tried to jump up and yell to attract attention on herself, but she could suddenly feel Nawieng?s hold around her neck and mouth.
''Don't be stupid. They'll kill us all not just the boy. Remain quiet.''
''Aaah, my garcon. What a loveleh surpriseh it iss, t' have yew wit' us mah boi.'' The captain gave it his best manners, sliding his sword back in his sash. ''Yah heard nada an' seen nada, aye?''
''Yeah. Like, hell boss, you totally scared the, like, shit out of me.'' He seemed relieved, as the captain commanded him to wait outside. As he left the room however, the captain motioned for one of his thugs to follow and help the boy not to remember anything, preferably not even to, you know, live.
Anni looked at Nawieng and she nodded. They crawled towards the clothing stand, disappearing in the doorway, into the foggy afternoon.
''Right. Let?s find him and..'''
''Anni, does he really worth it? I mean, that's the Veronica and it's captain for the Darkness' sake!'' The look on the human girl's face was enough for her to understand and she sighed. ''Fine. Here's what we do.''
Chapter Five: Aboard
Heave! Ho! HEAVE! HO!
''Missterr Atkinson, weell yew tai them rrropes prroperly there or I moight getcha by the swash an' throw yew ov'boarrrd?!''
''Aye, sir!''
The ship ran to leave the docks by sundown and would already be half on her way to its next stop by midnight, which in fact would?ve been an island called Phoenix Isle. The two girls following the boy, followed by the thug, who was looking for the right time to strike and slay the child, waited somewhat patiently. Somewhat.
''Is it far yet??'' Asked Anni a fifty-fourth time in the same interval of ten minutes, slowly but surely having Newae's patience run out.
''No, it?s not!'' She responded annoyedly, keeping her eyes on the boy.
''Is it far yet???'' Anni asked again.
''Yes it is very far now.'' She whispered back and when they looked out the small hatch again, the boy and the thug were both gone.
''Damn it!'' Muttered the dark-elf and used the evening gloom to climb out of their hiding place and take a look around. They both heard a loud thud and hurried to the spot. They found the thug with a bleeding head, lying on the floor.
''What the..'' Anni took a worried look around, only to spot the boy on a nearby stack of barrels , holding a hammer in his hand, and a bottle of ale in the other one.
''Looking for somebody?'' He smirked, wiping the bloody hammer on his pants and 'accidentally' dropping it overboard.
Anni glared daggers, hooks, biting piranhas and a whole jar of codliver oil at him, among a lot of other unpleasant things, of course.
''And I was gon' save yew.'' The boy laughed at that and hopped off the barrels.
''Do I look like I need help?''
''Anni..''
''Not now Nawieng!''
''Anni..!?'' Se tugged on her ragged shirt again, and when she turned around, she would face seven angry sailors.
''Well?'' They would hear the captain's toady voice. ''If it isn't Mr. Lazarus Burns. And what do we have here. A dark-elven child? A circus will pay millions even for your corpse y'know.''
''The worms won't pay a nickel for yours when I'm through with you, fishbreath!'' The pirates all paused for a moment and then burst out laughing.
''Children. How amusing.''
''Alright Horton, you let'em go, they did nothing.''
The pirate turned to the boy with a fearsome shout.
'' 'Tis *cap'n* Horton tew ya, bawy!'' At that life saving moment the thin man hurried to the captain.
''Sah! We?s be thar!'' The captain released Nawieng's chin, also letting go of Lazarus' shirt, leaving them behind with the command of tie'em up an' hang'm off the deck!
Chapter Six: Shiver me timbers
Two hours after midnight, they arrived to the island called Phoenix, and while the three children were hanging out - out of the same small rope-fold cage that is - the pirates were headed for their treasure, with the small box under the captain's arm.
''Great. Juuust great. I was going to sit down in my lair eating the pie - which now we lost with ALL the food, thanks to your noseyness, dearest Anni - And now, I'm about to get mauled to pieces by these fish.''
''Those are sharks. Where were you living so far, blackie? Under the ground?''
''In fact, yes, and the name is Newae, human.''
''Pleased to meet you Newaehuman my name is Lazarus. Fancy dying with you.''
''Will yew two shut up an? let me think fer a moment?''
''Think about what? What spice they prefer to go with our feet?''
On the island the captain approached an ornate altar, engraved with abyssal runes and a large seal, with the shape of a sword carved into its middle section.
''Ah... here it is! I call the mighty Lord! Er'Kal the Desperate!'' The captain cried with enthusiasm, thinking about all the reward he'd get from the demon. A planar gate would open through which a feminine, attractive young man stepped forth.
''Have you brought what I desire, Julian?'' Asked the demon on a pleasantly soft and menacingly friendly voice.
''Ah yes , Lord. Here it is.'' He started to open the small, ornate container.
''I happen to have that lovely little dagger your captain had in that chest. I nicked it from the box when nobody was looking.'' Grinned Newae and pulled a beautiful masterwork dagger, engraved with abyssal runes and embedded with precious stones allover its surface. She cut the cage open and they all climbed up the rope to the ship.
''What kind of stupid idiotic joke of mortals is this?!'' Shrieked the demon being not half as friendly as before.
''Thems bloody kids! Tis their trifle wit' thine patience m'lord!'' Replied the captain with utmost fear in his voice, shuddering by knee and shivering above waist.
''Don't just stand there you fools! That dagger is my only hope for freedom! I double the prize! No, I triple it!'' The pirates stood a moment for widened eyes and then turned heels only to notice that something is amiss.
''The ship! Somebody took the ship!''
''I can see that somebody took the ship you fools! What *use* are you to me now, hmmm?'' The archfiend suddenly started taking a very inhuman form and the pirates ran to hide behind all rocks.
''Hey! So y'know how ta navigate a ship huh?'' Giggled Anni standing next to Lazarus and a contently head-inflated dark-elf.
''What gave it away, redhead?'' The boy laughed and they did not notice the flash of abyssal flames rising from the island in the form of a gigantic explosion.
_________________ "There is no Sparta. THIS. IS. SPOON!!"
Last edited by GLoRToR on Mar 18th, '07, 02:49, edited 4 times in total.
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