Freedom (Arkhos)
It was pure torture. Absolutely completely pure unadulterated torture. Arkhos stood on the edge of the dry dock, staring at the half completed hull of a magnificent new barque style ship he’d had commissioned, it was everything he had to not scream at the tired workman to stop their lollygagging and their ridiculous notion of needing sleep to finish work on her and get him out to sea. It had been almost two months since he’d been marooned on the worst island he could think of...Eversong. Sure it wasn’t a conventional island, but it felt like one when he could go nowhere without having to walk or ride one of those bony horse monstrosities the Forsaken had risen to serve.
He’d almost signed up to start working on fishing vessels, but rumors had swirled that he attracted firestarters, and Arkhos hadn’t wanted to bring any more stress to himself or what remained of his crew...the crew.
Keythan was there of course, his rock and guiding light. The reason he’d managed to survive this long was the blond and his many distractions, making him grudgingly fall back in love with the land he’d sworn off for many years. Cook had left, after...well when one loses their husband and father of their unborn child, suddenly working on a ship lost it’s appeal. Arkhos had managed to smuggle her down to an Alliance friendly town and he hoped she’d made it back home to Teladrassil by now. Keythan had managed to rescue six of his twelve man crew all together, not including Natha and himself of course. Only four had perished in the flames, one at their own hand but...none it seemed wanted to return, they were frightened, and Arkhos honestly couldn’t blame them, but now what was he? A Captain of nothing...of a broken ship and a busted hull, a Captain all on his own.
“Captain! She’s coming along wonderfully!” Came a voice that broke him from his melancholic thoughts, and Arkhos turned to smile at the foreman.
“Aye, tha’ she is. Looks like she might be done by the end of next month yeah?” He replied, deep voice friendly and cheerful.
The red haired elf that had come up to him nodded, standing beside him. “Yes sir, she’ll be exactly to your specifications, I’ve got the enchanters on stand-by for when we finish up the hull, your ship is gonna be protected from everything except cannons.” The foreman chuckled. “Apologies, we’ve no protective runes for that.”
Arkhos chuckled, it sounded dry and unused but it felt genuine. “Good, I suppose for that I only need t’keep a weather eye on what’s ‘round us. Good as any protective rune against cannons.”
“I hear you’re one of the best at doing that, so I have no fear.” The foreman smiled at him. “Still, how are you enjoying your time here? Reconnecting with old friends?”
What are you doing? Stop this! It’s wrong! You know it is!
Don’t worry, you only need one to see where you’re going.
Arkhos smirked then, realizing what he needed to do while he was still marooned. “Aye, actually I’m havin’ dinner with an old compatriot of mine. Used t’run with him when I was but a young welp, I can’t wait t’see what stories he has for me.”
“Well have fun! Don’t drink too much, you won’t be able to find your way back to the tavern.” The foreman teased, heading back to get the rest of his straggling workers off the dry dock before the sun went down.
Arkhos paused, eyeing the skeletal wood once more, before he turned and headed up the path. It would take him about an hour to walk to the city, plenty of time to come up with a plan. He had been marooned...but that didn’t mean he couldn’t still be the fierce dread Captain he was...and he knew just who deserved to be visited by the Captain of the Drakonbane tonight.
