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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.
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.