Vaelora was running through Windstone's streets. Having been abandoned as a child, she lived as a vagrant all her life. She was clutching a piece of bread in her hand having stolen it from some vendor. Yells echoed from behind her as a man gave chase.

  "Hey! Get back here you bitch! Give me back my produce!"

  "Hahaha! You can't catch me old man!"

  But Vaelora was too fast, laughing as she ducked into alleys and and through buildings. The smell of the sea washed over her as she approached the harbor. She lived on the docks, taking refuge beside crates in a mosly abandoned warehouse for the past few months.

  She creeped up to the warehouse at the dock's edge. Snaeking inside through a long broken window. She scarfed the bread down greedily, sitting against the wall. It had been her first meal in a few days and she ate with a smile on her face.

  "...Man, that hit the spot."

  Standing up, she felt her stomach still rumbling but disregarded her hunger. Turning to the window she peered out into the sea. The coastal breeze was blowing on her face and her shoulder length dark hair waved with it. Her smile grew as she sat in the breeze. She loved the feeling of the sea breeze on her face, it was one of her few pleasures.

  Over the horizon she watched for hours as ships came and went. Merchants and fishermen were setting out to sea. Suddenly a ship with black flags appeared on the horizon, pirates.

  These seas were infested by them, especially around Windstone. They claim it's because of Pontus, The God of Wind and Storms and his carefree personality that favored those bold enough to seek freedom.

  Vaelora watched as the small vessel approached the docks edge, the boat coming close to her warehouse. She watched as the pirates aboard hurried along the deck as they docked. Eventually the pirates began venturing off their ship, and scar ridden men walked through the docks.

  Some split off into various inns and bars, but a group of three men came straight for the warehouse she was in. Their voices could be heard even inside the old warehouse, echoing through the broken window.

  "You think there's anything good in there?"

  "Doubt it, just looking at the outside. Looks old and abandoned. Some vagrants probably looted it already."

  "It's worth a look though. What if there's something we can sell in there?"

  Vaelora paled as they approached the door. There were no other exits but the broken window but it directly faced the sea and she was a bad swimmer. She had nowhere to run, her heart raced in her chest as she looked around the dilapidated warehouse. Searching for a place to hide among the crates and barrels.

  The door began to rattle as the pirates opened it. The creaking of the old wood reverberated through the air, and dust began to jump into the air as it opened. She turned to the door, stunned, before springing into action. Vaelora ran for an open crate, jumping inside and closing the lid behind herself. She held her breath as the pirates came inside.

  Vaelora could hear them complaining to each other. One letting out a cough and waving his arm around in front of himself.

  "Damn this dust. How long has this poace been abandoned for?"

  She could hear their heavy footsteps as they walked towards the crates. Muttered prayers for luck were whispered as they opened the first crate. Vaelora watched them open crate after crate, barrel after barrel and finding nothing. Frustrations were rising among the group, one of them kicking an empty crate away with an angry expression.

  "Fuck this! The warehouse is empty, there's nothing here at all!"

  But the crate that was knocked back, collided with her own. The wood cracked and both crates began falling apart. Vaelora froze as she was revealed to the pirates, fear overtaking her. She knew they would probably sell her or worse, only pain was promised.

  Looking over, the men's fowl mood suddenly lifted. Smiles crept onto their faces as they saw the girl before them.

  "This, we can work with! We'll get a pretty penny for her."

  One of them approached her, walking over slowly. Vaelora could see a lecherous look in his eye, it didn't matter that she was barely fourteen. To them she had been a woman for a long time, not a girl.

  "Don't get too carried away Rob. She's still merchandise, we need her in good condition."

  One of them advised the man coming towards her. Vaelora's mind suddenly stopped wandering as she watched the man approach. She looked for anything that she could use as a weapon, grabbing a thick wooden shard from the floor as the man stood over her.

  "Don't be scared. It won't be so bad."

  He reached down for her face, clearly enjoying himself. He hoiseted Vaelora to her feet, brushing her body with his other hand. A chill ran down her spine as she made contact with the man's rough skin. Her grip on the wooden stake tightened and her eyes sharpened.

  Without hesitaion she plunged it into the man's side, pulling it out before stabbing again. This time she targeted his neck. The man foze with a bewildered expression. His hand reached for a dagger at his side but it was too late, the stake had already plunged into his neck.

  "Rob!"

  Crimson blood sprayed onto Vaelora, marking her face red. The two men hurriedly reached for their own weapons as their crewmate fell dead. One wielded a cutlass, the other a dagger. Vaelora reached for the fallen man in front of her, taking his dagger.

  She raised her blade and pointed it at the two men in front of her. The men didn't back away like she had hoped though. Insted the man with the cutlass shot straight for her, striking at her dagger. Sparks flew as the blades clashed but Vaelora was at a disadvantage.

  She was forced stumbling back, the impact too strong. Tripping over the ruined crates behind her Vaelora fell to the ground. The two pirates stood over her, much like before. Only this time she didn't stand a chance of fighting back.

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  "Make sure to avoid her face, she'll sell better with no deformities."

  Kicks and punches struck her from above, the men taking out their frustrations on her until she lost consciousness.

  "You bitch! You'll pay for killing Rob!"

  Once they had sufficiently blown off steam. Vaelora laid on the ground, bruises covering her body and blood spilling from her mouth. One of the men let out a chuckle before picking her up on his shoulder.

  "Let's go Vince, back to the ship. We'll sell her on the Crownless Isles to some pirate lord after we leave in a few days."

  By the time Vaelora woke up, she was in a dinghy cell under the pirate ship's deck. Letting out a groan of pain she looked up to the roof, orange light pouring through small grate. The sun seemed to be setting.

  Turning to her side Vaelora contemplated her situation. There was no getting out of this scott free, these men wouldn't let her go. It didn't matter how much she pled or cried, but she couldn't just do nothing.

  For a while she considered ending her life, biting her tongue off and setting off with one last defiant act. But everytime she tried something inside told her not to. It told her to strive forward with the wind, that she would find a way out of this. That she would survive.

  Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by fhe sound of footsteps, a man was approaching her cell. In his hands he carried a tray of spoiled food, mold visible in the bread.

  "Here's some food, girl. Make sure you don't die before we sell you or we'll kill you."

  Vaelora ignored the man as he opened her cell and set the tray down before leaving. She laid there in the floor of her cell as the night creeped in. For hours she didn't move, not even to eat.

  Her stomach rumbled in hunger but she pushed the feeling down. She was long used to starving, she had been hungry all her life. Her thoughts drifted as the hours passed, eventually falling into darkness as she fell asleep.

  For the next two days this cycle repeated, she would wake up in extreme pain and hungry. Her mind was numb as she looked up to the small window she had above her. Once a day a man would come to her cell with long expired food for her. Vaelora ignored the food, laying looking up at the ceiling with no expression.

  As the sun set in the third day of her imprisonment that routine changed. Instead of bringing food at sunset the man was followed by another. A man with a long blue coat on his back, he wore a captain's hat and had a dark scruffy beard covering his features.

  He came up to the cell and kocked on it a few times. The clangor of the metal rang in her ears but as always she ignored the men outside her cell. A low voice led out a chuckle as she turned to face the wall.

  "No need to be so heartless girl. I just came by to let you know we were setting off at first light tomorrow. It won't be long before we reach the Crownless Isles, and once we make it you'll be sold to the highest bidder."

  He laughed as the image of gold appeared in his mind. Vaelora was beautiful despite her rough life, he knew that she would sell well. He could already see himself aboard a new vessel, straight from the best shipyard of the Crownless Isles.

  Turning back to the girl, he spit at her from outside the cell before walking away. He waved his hand as he walked away. His low voice, dripping with sarcasm, echoed through the dark hall.

  "Sit tight girl. You'll be free soon enough."

  Vaelora stared at the ceiling, tears welled in her eyes. That night, she couldn't sleep. Thoughts of her grim future plagued her, but a voice in the back of her head remained hopeful. Soon enough the sun began rising and she heard the commotion above her.

  Orders were barked out as men scurried on the deck. The sails were rising along with the sun and the ship slowly moving. As the hours went by Vaelora ended up falling asleep, the ship's movements rocking her into unconsciousness.

  Hours went by and the sun was now high in the sky, but something was off. On the deck the pirates watched as enemy ships appeared in the distance. The ships were fast, much faster than their own. Running wasn't an option and their enemy was approaching quickly.

  Cannons began to go off, the loud explosions stirring Vaelora awake. Suddenly an enemy cannonball struck the ship. It crashed into the ship's side, crashing through the wood. The impact rocked their ship, sending Vaelora crashing into her cell bars.

  She fell down to the floor, a grimace of pain on her face and a scream escaping her. Gathering her bearings, her mind raced as she looked around frantically. Her mind cleared as she came to a realization, this was her chance.

  'This is it. Those bastards are clearly losing this battle, I can make it out as long as I play my cards right.'

  She could use the chaos of the conflict to escape, it was her best chance. Suddenly another cannonball came hurdling for the ship. This time if struck quite close to her cell. She felt the impact as it destroyed the walls of the ship. Water began flowing into the ship, panic spread on the deck as the captain gave desperate orders.

  "Run! What are you waiting for!? We have to outrun them!"

  "Captain the ship is sinking! We're taking in water!"

  "Abandon ship!"

  "Don't you dare abandon ship, we have merchandise!"

  Shouts echoed through the deck, the crew falling into disorder. Some outright deserted, jumping overboard and swimming for their lives. Vaelora's mind was still, she analyzed her position. If she didn't make it out of the cell, she would drown no doubt. Her eyes flashed around, looking for anyway out.

  Luckily the cannon fire kept going, and as she searched for a way out a cannonball struck the cell next to hers. The impact was enough to blow a hole in the wall between cells. A smile creeped onto Vaelora's face as she muttered a prayer to the Gods.

  Crawling through the hole, the shards of wood cut her skin. Blood dripped from her arms as she pushed her way into the smoking cell. Light was pouring through what used to be a wall. Vaelora turned to look outside, all she could see was the sea and three ships firing cannons in her direction.

  She gulped before taking a deep breath and diving into the sea. As water engulfed her she tried her best to swim. Columns of white water shot high into the sky as cannonballs struck the water. Vaelora did her best to swim around the impacts but the currents were strong and she wasn't the best swimmer. The currents dragged her along as she struggled to swim.

  Windstone was too far a distance for her to try swimming there. Poking her head out of the water she searched for any islands around but found herself in the middle of open sea. Without any other choice she swam for the ships firing the cannons.

  The sea was rough and waves crashed against her as she swam. Exhaustion began to seep deep jnto her bones but her eyes remained clear, focused on her goal. Time seemed to stretch as she moved through the water. The five to ten minute swim feeling like hours of struggling against currents.

  The three ships kept approaching the sinking pirates. Vaelora struggled to breathe and swallowed a lot of salt water but in the end she had made it. Looking up she swam toward the smallest of the three vessels. A stray rope was close enough for her to grab at the back of the vessel.

  She struggled to climb up the rope, the people aboard the vessel focused on the sinking pirates didn't notice her. Vaelora panted for air laying on the deck, taking a minute to rest. Suddenly a boy around her age stood above her, his eyes wandering across her wet body.

  A cold chill went down her back as he reached for her. The memory of being taken from the warehouse still fresh in her mind. As the boys hand approached her she reached for it too.

  A smile appeared on the boy's face, seemingly happy that she'd returned his gesture. But Vaelora had a different goal when grabbing his hand. She used his hand to stand up, dragging the boy to the floor. In one quick movement she reached for his belt and stole his dagger. Putting it to the boy's neck, his expression paled.

  "I'm sorry, but I have to live. It was nothing personal, may Nihil will guide you into your next life peacefully."

  She whispered an apology into his ear slitting the boy's throat. She lifted the dying boh and pushed him over the railing, dropping him into the sea. Her hands shook as she watched him sink into the sea and her resolve shook a little.

  Bile shot up from her empty stomach as she vomited over the railing. For a few seconds she stayed there, head dacing down. Taking a deep breath she steadied herself and raised her head. The boy she killed had dark hair just like hers, only his was shorter. Taking his dagger Vaelora sut her own her, letting it sink into the sea along with the boy.Vaelora's resolve to survive hardened. She had already come this far, she wouldn't falter here.