“Captain!” Orion’s voice came from a talk tube. “We’ve found them. Or rather, they found us.”

“Good!” Gilder yelled in the general direction of the talk tube as he steadied himself from the shake. “Keep at it until I get up there! Andy, Joshua, you know the routine. Let’s go!”

“Aye aye!” The three chorused as Andy and Joshua rushed to their posts.

"It would have been better if we had made it to Nasrad first to...Ah..." Gilder muttered to himself before turning to her.

“Hey.” Gilder said as he directed Sophitia back to the crew’s quarter’s “Stay in here, lock the door, and don’t let anyone in but me, Andy, or Orion.”

“What about Joshua?”

Gilder cocked his head and looked off into space with a glance that looked half amused and half disturbed.

“I…Somehow I don’t think that’s a very good idea. No, don’t open it for Joshua.” He finally replied, before going off himself.

Sophitia locked the door as she was told, and just stood there. Well, what else was there to do? She could look through the crew’s stuff, but she didn’t want to make them mad. That, and she was a little nervous of what she might find. She started pacing, but when the swaying and occasional sudden lurching of the ship made her sick, she fell on the ground. Staying on the floor seemed to help a lot, so she just laid there.

I wonder how they’re doing up there. Now that I think of it, I wonder who they’re fighting.

She tried to get her mind off of the airsickness by imagining the four of them in battle. It was hard, because whenever she really concentrated, strange images flashed up on her. It wouldn’t have bothered her if she knew what the images looked like, but the pictures in her mind came and went before she could even identify what they were. It was like an idea that she forgot as soon as she thought it up.

If it is an idea, it needs to learn to stick inside my head long enough for me to make sense of it. Wait…what’s that noise?

She sat up and listened. It sounded like banging. She noticed the ship wasn’t moving anymore and she tried to figure out what the noise was. There was another loud bang, like someone was looking for something.

“I still don’t understand why I’m stuck doing this! Oh yes, let’s send Davidson to go and check through the Blue Rogue’s ship for treasure and crap while the rest of us distract the crew, ‘cause we’re going to be pansies on this one. That’s a wonderful plan! But there’s just one slight problem…I’M THE STRONGEST DAMN MEMBER! But no! I have to go on a treasure hunt instead of a fighting spree all because I just so happen to have slept in a little this morning! The rest are going to be half dead when I get back, and they’ll expect me to save their sorry asses as always. Of all the stupid things to do…”

It was a man’s voice, and it didn’t seem all too familiar. Though she could hear him coming up to the cabin she was in, she couldn’t bring herself to feel anything more than slightly nervous.

I should be afraid! Scared stiff! What’s wrong with me? Are my nerves too shot to even feel anything?

She stood up and faced the door just as the man crashed through. When he saw her, he stepped back a little out of surprise; it was obvious he wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. After he looked her up and down though, he sneered.

“Well what do you know? Looks like we interrupted the crew’s fun with our little fight. Ooh, this is going to be entertaining.”

“Get…get back or I’ll…I’ll…”

“Or you’ll what? Throw a deck of cards at me? Don’t make me laugh.”

“I’ll scream. I swear I’ll scream.”

“Your rouge lovers won’t be able to hear you. They’re too caught up in the fray on deck.”

“No…ra…rape…” She tried to scream, but she felt sick again and the flashing images came back.

“Rape? No, you might want to talk to my friend, Dalan, for that. He does the rape thing. Such a pity he's not around to give it to you...though I doubt he'd do you anyways 'cause you ain't his type.”

Dalan? Hang on, why does that name sound so…so…

“No, killing is where’s it’s at, for me. Nothing better than strangling the life out of someone, something I think I’ll do to you…hehehe.”

She tried to think of a way out, she tried to run, but her body wasn’t responding. Her mind kept going over the name “Dalan” like it was some sort of holy object that should be worshipped with repetition. Dalan, Dalan, Dalan was repeated over and over again, to the point where she got a headache. To the point where she couldn’t speak. To the point where the man had his hands around her throat. To the point where she couldn’t breathe.

To the point where the darkness came back to haunt her.

Author Emana: And then Sophitia dies…psych. That would be a really stupid ending.

Next Chapter is coming soon...as well as more ways to TORMENT Sophitia...MUWAHAHAHAHA!!!