• Graded • The End of One Life, and the Start of Another

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Kirei Qe'Azour
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The End of One Life, and the Start of Another

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22nd Vhalar, 710


The trip from Rynmere had been a nightmare. Kirei had never known so much water existed in all the world. Having never been on a ship before, Kirei had spent most of the trip struggling to keep down what little food and water she'd been given. And most of the time, she had failed. Kirei had lost a lot of weight during the sixty two trials at sea, and as scrawny as she was to begin with, she didn't have the weight to lose.

Kirei wanted to snarl in defiance at her captors when they came to unload the prisoners. But the brutal treatment she'd gotten at the hands of her captors combined with the harsh conditions the prisoners had been kept in during the long journey had worn her down and battered her spirit until she was little more than a pale shadow of her former self. So instead of lashing out, she cringed back as her captors grabbed her roughly and dragged her off the ship.

After such a long voyage chained in the dimly lit belly of the ship, the sun was painfully bright. Kirei squinted against the light, trying to get a good look at where she was. Her eyes watered, but she forced herself to deal with it, and keep her eyes open. If there were any means of escape, then she needed to know about it. If there were any potential distractions that might allow her to slip away, then she needed to be prepared to act immediately so she could take advantage of them.

As Kirei's eyes slowly adjusted to the light, she began to silently size up her opponents; after arcs on the streets of Lowtown, her instincts demanded nothing less. There were seven men unloading the prisoners. Five of them were huge; broad shouldered, powerfully built giants of men. Any one of them looked as though they could take down an entire army by themselves. The other two didn't look overly impressive, but they were wiry, and fast. They were also stronger than they looked; Kirei had learned that much from painful experience. And all of them were armed to the teeth.

Kirei was no match for any of them, and she knew it. Even if she was in her best physical form...which after sixty two trials at sea, she most certainly was not...she was a thin, scrawny weakling. At times she had been able to hold her own against other street kids who were in the same boat she was in. But these monsters? These men were fully armed, well trained killers who took great pleasure in the suffering of others. At best, her diminutive size would make her a small target. But that wouldn't matter much in the long run. All it would take was one good blow from any of these men, and she was dead. Kirei knew her own abilities...and she knew when she was badly outmatched.

In a situation like this, it was better not to try to fight at all. Fighting would get her nothing; there was no chance of winning, and it was very likely that it would get her seriously hurt, or killed. No, it was far better if she kept a sharp eye out and looked for a chance to escape.

It isn't cowardice to avoid a fight if you know you have no chance of winning. she told herself firmly.
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Kirei Qe'Azour
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The End of One Life, and the Start of Another

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The docks that Kirei found herself being dragged through were much like what she had seen on the docks in Andaris. They were crowded, bustling, and loud. Very loud. The biggest difference that Kirei could see was that she couldn't understand a word of what was being said around her. It was chaos. Winged people and humans alike were yelling at the tops of their lungs to make themselves heard over the noise. But Kirei was desperate to understand it because amidst the chaos might be the distraction she needed to escape.

As she struggled to understand the chaos, patterns began to make themselves known to her. Repeatedly someone would say a word, and wave some nels around. Was this the word for money? Or nels specifically? Kirei couldn't be certain, but she thought it might be the word for nels because the word was often accompanied by one of three other words depending on whether the nels in question were gold, silver, or copper. Again, Kirei wasn't sure her guesses were correct, but when the same words were used repeatedly in the same situations, she began to associate them with certain meanings.

Likewise, when people pointed at various things, and shouted, Kirei guessed that they were naming whatever was being pointed at. It was harder to guess the meaning of these words since someone pointing at a wooden box might be saying "box," "wood," or even naming whatever was inside the box. But some of the words were repeated enough that she thought she could take a guess at their meaning. And when she heard someone shout in obvious anger, it was fairly obvious that they were swearing. She couldn't even begin to guess what the swear words meant, but the intentions behind the words were clear.

None of this helped her, however, and after a while, Kirei gave up her efforts in favor of trying to see where she and the other prisoners were being taken. Perhaps, if she was lucky, there would be a chance to escape once they got there. "There" was a building that looked like a large shed at the end of the docks. There were a lot of people gathered around the building. Some were human, Biqaj, and Sev'ryn, the three races that she knew enough about that she was able to recognize them on sight. But there were others there as well; people whose race she couldn't immediately guess at. Many of them were in chains as she was. Others were restrained in other ways, or were closely monitored by the winged people who appeared to be in charge. All of the winged people were heavily armed, as were some of the humans. And the prisoners all looked as terrified as she felt. When one of the prisoners was dragged inside the building, an agonized scream was heard soon afterwards. This was followed by the strong, distinctive smell of burning flesh. Many of the prisoners who emerged from the shed bore ugly new brands. Those that did not moved as though they were in agony, and Kirei was forced to guess that they had been branded as well; just in a location that wasn't immediately visible from where she was standing. A lot of them were in so much pain that they couldn't stand without assistance. These were dragged away roughly by the people who were guarding them.
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Kirei Qe'Azour
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The End of One Life, and the Start of Another

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Kirei panicked. There was no way she was going to allow them to brand her; she might be a street kid, but she was no slave! She, and several of the other prisoners lashed out blindly at the crew in a desperate bid for escape. Unfortunately for her, a sharp blow to the head put a quick stop to her efforts. Her head exploded with pain, and her vision blurred as she sank to her knees, too dizzy to stand. A few of the others managed to escape, but a shouted warning from one of the crew ensured that they were quickly rounded up, and captured once more.

One by one, the prisoners were dragged into the shed. Kirei felt sick with dread in anticipation of her own imminent branding. Or was the blow to her head the cause of her growing nausea? She couldn't be certain. Either way, the result was the same.

When it was her turn to be dragged into the shed, Kirei was helpless to resist. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest, and she was breathless with terror as one of the winged men looked her up and down with a calculating eye. To Kirei, he looked like a winged demon as he judged her as one might judge the quality of a piece of meat. Finally, he barked a sharp order that was no more than incomprehensible words to Kirei. It was only by his tone, and the speed with which his words were obeyed that she guessed that what he said was in fact an order.

Two men sprang to obey the winged demon's command. Within trills, Kirei found herself sprawled on the floor, her legs pulled forcibly apart. A third man approached with a branding iron. Its tip glowed red from the heat of the fire burning in the large fireplace along the far wall. Once again, Kirei gave in to the panic she was feeling. She struggled to free herself, but her efforts were futile; she couldn't even budge the men that were holding her down before she exhausted herself. All she had to show for her wild struggles was a new set of bruises on her arms and legs.

Agony seared through her when the branding iron was pressed firmly against her inner thigh. She screamed, and her body convulsed in protest at the pain, but the men had had plenty of practice at their jobs. Her leg was held motionless as the brand did its work, marking her forever as a slave. Tears blurred her vision. Kirei didn't know which hurt more; the agony of the brand, or the pain of knowing what that brand meant.

When it was over, the winged demon squatted down, and examined the brand. Then he jotted something down in a journal before barking yet another incomprehensible command. Kirei felt faint as the men dragged her to her feet. Her stomach lurched, and she lost her battle against the nausea that plagued her. The men laughed at her weakness. She was unable to stand, so they had to support her weight fully as they dragged her away.
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Quio
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The End of One Life, and the Start of Another

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Comments: Oh gosh. Kirei's in trouble. I do hope she doesn't have to deal with too much mistreatment in the threads to come.

I really love that despite what she's going through, and despite how afraid she must be, she's still got such will to fight, to escape. I liked too how intelligent she seems-- knowing to pick her battles and trying to figure out the language, looking to gain any advantage or opportunity she could. I hope she keeps at it!

The writing itself was excellent, concise and as practical as Kirei herself seems, but with just the right amount of emotion and turmoil. I liked the parts where Kirei panicked and acted despite herself; it's realistic that she might try to run or resist being branded. So, overall, really good work!

KIREI

CS: CS is approved and up-to-date.

Skill knowledge:
Endurance: The pain of being branded is both physical, and emotional
Unarmed Combat; Brawling: Sizing up your opponent
Unarmed Combat; Brawling: Knowing when your opponent outmatches you
Unarmed Combat; Brawling: Knowing your own strength and skill
Unarmed Combat; Brawling: Knowing when not to fight
Unarmed Combat; Brawling: Not fighting back isn't cowardice if faced with an impossible fight

Other knowledge:
Lorien: Swear words
Lorien: Haggling terms

Location: Athart Docks

Kirei: Knows her own strength and abilities

Loot: None.
Injuries: Kirei was branded; her brand will heal fully within somewhere between half an arc, and a full arc, but the initial scabby phase will heal within thirty to sixty trials. Kirei sustained a powerful blow to the head that leaves her with some dizziness, and blurred vision that will last for several breaks, and a severe headache that will linger for a few trials. And she has several bruises that will fade slowly over the next several trials.
Fame: None.

Points: 10/10
Magic: You CANNOT use the XP awarded for magic.
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A L I A S E S
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