Segments from Sio: Shipwrecked.

 

“Oh you think you can just walk out of here do you? Against me and my men? I brought enough men with me to be able to comfortably take down your Rogarin muscle bound friend, but he isn’t here, so it’s just you two. I think we can take out your little friend, he isn’t going to be able to protect you little girl, you might have got lucky at the brothel but that won’t work here,” aww bless, they thought the girl couldn’t be any trouble…might be time to educate them soon then…
 

“Yes I am a bitch, hi,” I waved theatrically. “But that doesn’t mean that we can’t work together here does it?”
 

“She got a body like a goddess,”…which one? I thought, there are some elder goddesses about, the Syltare goddess of motherhood is plump and bustling…then there’s the one with six arms, and Fyr who goddess of the hunt who has antlers and fur…or worse…the dark goddess of Syltare, Emyline, who has grey skin, red eyes, long claws…oh...and the body of a spider...euew…Got to be specific when you say goddess, who knows what you’d end up with otherwise?
 

“Bet she gave that bastard a good time,” the dirty pirate mumbled, I grinned in the darkness having paused to listen to them for a moment, I gave that guy what he deserved, wonder if they've found where I left him tied up yet, *smugface*.
 

“Well I’ll have to won’t I? Not much else I can do is there? Got get out of here somehow, seeing as the options so far here seem to be have sex with dirty men and give the money to someone else, find a way out of here whatever it takes, or get fed to weird sea beasts.”
 

Probably the only reason that no demon has made it back here is because the mages we have now are mostly incompetent idiots who spend more time playing in front of kids than doing anything really magicy. Actually sounds like our best defence against demons really, crappy mages
 

I whipped off a high heel, she’d given me stilettos to make me taller, thing about those is that they’re really pointy and sharp, I jammed one into his throat nicking it slightly. “Shout out for help and the only way you’ll be leaving this room is in a wooden box, understand me?”
 

“I do,” I said. “I like me, I’m the kind of person I would like to have around, I’m fun, liven up my surroundings and stab anyone that really pisses me off,” I looked sweetly at him. “Is that wrong?”
He glanced down at me again. “Your fun mostly consists of being sarcastic and taking the proverbial out of almost everyone else.”
“Yep,” I said cheerfully. “What do you do for fun?”
“I read history and reference books,” he said. 
“Learning, nothing wrong with that, you could be more fun though,” I nudged him. “Fighting, drinking, finding a nice Rogarin girl, bet she could make you more fun.”
“I am fine thank you,” he said coldly.
“I bet you could though,” I said. “I know a girl, she’d be great for you, she’s a Rogarin, horns an everything.”
“Sio, I do not need a girl.”
“Man then?” I asked.
He glared at me. “No Sio!” 
“Not man then…hmm,” I pulled a face. “Not Dwarf surely, that’s horrid.”
He hung his head.
 

...apparently being a member of a crew got you benefits in shops and stuff so that was what I needed to do. Best place to find a crew? Well there’s actually a port authority that lists the crews and what they might be looking for, useful…see if anyone needs a sneaky bitch in their crew? Who doesn’t need a sneaky bitch in their life? You’re reading this book so I guess you must, and I am happy to provide the service. 
 

“Disobey me and the pain yer feelin now will be nothing compared to what yer’ll get next,” she stared into my scared eyes, I’d even managed a couple of tears, that takes effort. “Yer work fur Jack, and he gives yer to me, yer mine, workin ere to pleasure men willin to lose a copper or three fur the joy of spreading yer. Yer’re goin to be one of our star attractions, on an island where there ain’t many girls yer’re goin to take them saps to the cleaners, yer produce anyfin less than happy service I give yer a right good iding girl…repeat it an yer end up being a course for Jacks pets, lovelies that they are,” she leant back putting her hands on her hips. “Do I make myself clear?”
I nodded appearing to be fearful, the few tears I’d managed to squeeze out definitely helped. “Yes,” I said in a small voice.
“Yes Mrs Darlow,” she said.
“Yes Mrs Darlow,” I parroted, now she should think that I was completely under her thrall, yeah…I know, it’s going to be fun when she gets what’s coming to her.

​

“No, and yet not quite true,” said the man at the front. “The questions you began to ask this afternoon roused the interest in Mr Forlidge, the very man for whom you are indentured to, he was kind enough to speak to me as he thought it strange that you were asking unusual questions considering the nature of your employment. Putting two and two together I thought that perhaps you young lady might be involved somewhere. I therefore put a watch on this place to see if you showed up Miss,” He grinned opening his hands out. “And I am happy to see that I am right, so what do we do now then?” He clicked his tongue. “We could see about what Jack has to say about this?” There were chuckles behind him. “I’m pretty sure that you are going to become the specialty at the fine brothel you are owned by…though you will most likely be locked up so that you can be experienced without the chance of causing any problems to your customers,” he glanced at Ryn. “As for you…for conspiring I expect that you will lose any chances of being any more than you are now, always a slave, branded a liability to anyone who might wish to take you on as a crewman, your lives as such they were are over.”

I glanced at Ryn hoping he could read my expression, the fact that he shifted position was promising. “To be honest we didn’t have much of a life before you started speaking,” I said. “This place…lovely sham that it is, can’t hold us, so if you don’t mind we’ll be getting out of here.”

The man laughed. “Oh you think you can just walk out of here do you? Against me and my men? I brought enough men with me to be able to comfortably take down your Rogarin muscle bound friend, but he isn’t here, so it’s just you two, I think we can take out your little friend, he isn’t going to be able to protect you little girl, you might have got lucky at the brothel but that won’t work here,” aww bless, they thought the girl couldn’t be any trouble…might be time to educate them soon then…

“Oh I see,” I said. “That’s a shame, it’s amazing the damage you can do with a high heel,” I pulled out the gun thing I’d bought and shot it at the sacks of grain and flour between me and the guys at the front of the warehouse. They were covered in a shower of flour and seeds pelting them like tiny hailstones, all of them cringed from the explosion. That allowed me to drag my sword out and slice across the man in the doorway behind me blocking that escape route, I kicked his falling form aside and dived for the doorway, there was another man outside, huge guy, still I had a height advantage being a few steps up so I leapt up and kicked him in the chest, he was so surprised he fell to the floor, with me landing next to him. I cracked his skull with the now fired gun knocking him out and then I ran on with Ryn following me.

“Holy crap Sio!” He exclaimed. “Where’d you learn that?”

“Talk later! Escape now!” I said.