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The ship creaked and moaned as it sailed across the Howling Sea, the winds for which these waters were named howled harshly as the waves crashed against the hull of the ship and onto the deck spraying sailors with its salty waters. Much like the sea the men howled orders at each other as they ran across the ship trying desperately to keep her afloat. The captain, Arnold Hammund, was the one of the most notorious slave captains and had commanded several journeys across the Howling Sea. "If you lot don't pull your damn weight when we get to port I'll sell you along with the savages below!", that wasn't a threat. Years of living as a slaver had driven Hammund almost mad with greed. So much so he would actually sell his men into slavery if he felt they didn't work to his expectations. One would think this would turn away potential crew but Hammund knew how to get a crew. On every venture to Rannos he would only pick the most skilled natives to take as slaves, once he was back home he'd sell them for top dollar and pay his crew handsomely even if it was only a portion of his earnings. 

Below decks in the darkest corner sat Talan, his face was bloodied and beaten along with the rest of his body due to his previous attempts to escape. He sat slouched against the wall of the ship packed with all the other slaves. Some weren't even Kahldari, in fact some of them seemed to be foreigners like the ones above. One in particular seemed more afraid than the rest. In fact he looked as if he was about to soil himself, "If you are going to shit yourself you better make sure it's nowhere near me", Talan said with a cruel tone in his voice. The foreigner snapped his head in the direction of where he heard the voice. "Y-you have no idea, savage, you have no idea what's in store for us. Let alone me!", the man tried to speak with some form of aggression but failed miserably. 

"Oh really? Then what is waiting for us wherever it is we are going?", Talan replied. He would forgive the man for calling him a savage..this time.

"We are going to be sold as slave! At least you all are I was in Rannos to escape a debt collector and now he's found me. I know the man and he is not one to forgive those who don't pay him. Oh God he's going to kill me, I think-I think I'm going to be sick!" 

"Get it togethor man! You think acting like a frightened child will do anything!", Talan looked around the hold on the ship to see all the others looking at him with the same expression on their faces as the pathetic man beside him. He stood up, more like half crouched as his chains kept him down somewhat. "Listen, all of you! You can sit here like cowards or you can fight for your freedom! Follow me and I will lead us back home!", the other slaves spoke quietly amongst themselves before giving him a look that he knew meant they were with him. "Good, the three of you. Help me break these chains", he pointed to the three closest men to him and they shuffled over to him grabbing his chains. "When I say, pull the chains...Now!", the three men and Talan jerked at the chains as hard as they could, amost instantly others joined in and in a few moments his chains broke away from the hull of the ship. The three did the same for each other and not long after there was enough of them free to release the other slaves. They all gathered at the stairs to the deck where Talan stood ahead of them all, "How many of you can fight?", he asked and in response a handful of men and women came forward through the crowd, "Alright the rest of you wait here, we don't need you getting in the way". Looking to his fighters he said, "When I give the word we all charge the deck. We have no weapons so knock the men off the ship. Take their weapons if you can-wait. What do you think you are doing?", Talan noticed the man he spoke with earlier at the front. "I-I want to fight", he said with the same nervous tone he spoke with before. 

"You are no fighter...fine just stay out of my way", Talan readied himself and signaled to the others to do the same. There was a moment of silence despite the raging sea outside, in the next there was only screaming as Talan lead the charge tackling the nearest sailor to the ground and bashing his face in before moving onto his next opponent. The slaves followed close by and the revolt seemed to be going well...that is until the slavers realized what was going on. They quickly began to surround and recapture the slaves, all except one. Talan was still fighting by the time they captured the others, he managed to get a sword and was slashing this way and that. It almost looked as if he'd take down the entire ship's crew if he hadn't been tackled from behind. Once he was captured the captain ordered his men to have the offending slaves lined up across the deck. Arnold strolled up and down the deck surveying each of the slaves Talan lead into battle. "My problem isn't the fact that you lot tried to rebel, but that I can't kill any of you. That would cost me money and I hate losing money...what I can do is teach you all a lesson", Arnold looked with hateful eyes as Talan who met Arnold's gaze with his own. "Men! Take this one and tie him to the mast. Then give him 50 lashins' to his savage hide!", Arnold walked over to the foreigner Talan had spoken to before. Still shaking from the assault the man nervously looked up at Arnold only to piss himself in fear. "Do you think I appreciate you soaking the deck of my ship with your piss?! Ey Boy?!...this one is not worth selling...kill em" 

Talan could hear the little man screaming as the sailors dragged him over to the side of the ship, slitting his throat and throwing his body overboard. "As for you, savage, remember where you are next time you have one of your primitive urges", Arnold gave one of his crewmen a nod and they began to whip Talan, each time adding to the already numerous bloody marks on his back. For the first 30 he was almost silent, letting out only grunts or muffled yells. After the first thirty was when he began to scream, his screams weren't like those of the pathetic man who died moments before. No, his were screams of anger, of hate, almost animalistic and the very man who was whipping him seemed reluctant to continue. At one point he stopped completely but to his surprise Talan spoke, "Are you satisfied? Because I swear once we get to where we are going I will kill you! When I'm done with you death will be welcoming!" 

Arnold with a blank look on his face gestured for them to take the beaten Kahldari below decks and chain him up again.Talan would not speak again until they reached the port city by the Tyne River delta. "Lead the cargo to the plaza!", Arnold ordered his men. In a few hours Arnold had managed to sell a good amount of his cargo before interested buyers were no where to be found. He still had a handful of slaves to sell, Talan among them. "Take this lot up river to the village near Stag's Rest when you get the chance. I'm not letting them go to waste", the leftover slaves were herded into a large holding chamber owned by Arnold himself for this very purpose. It is here that Talan would wait for his chance to be free...and to kill the man who dared to whip him as if he was some animal.