Bloody Storm

"Pirate ship! Save yourselves," the captain shouted. The panic-stricken faces could no longer be covered up.

Wrapped in overwhelming fear, Arachlea followed the other women down the stairs leaving the open space. Upon reaching the lower deck, a thumping sound from above confirmed that pirates had indeed boarded their ship.

"Are you sure this life bag can save us?" whispered a very young-looking maid to another in desperation.

"I'm pregnant," the other woman exclaimed, despite Arachlea having previously caught her smoking when Prince Hill complained about the overcooked food in the kitchen.

Arachlea shook her head, feeling like she too was going crazy from the sudden mental stress. Where she came from, her father would probably be put to death, or perhaps the punishment would be transferred to her mother if Prince Hillarius successfully presented his testimony. While here he would either be killed by pirates or drowned in the middle of the ocean.

Arachlea felt as if death was the only thing she could see before her.

The clanging of swords could be heard down to the deck, Arachlea couldn't see if the crew had succeeded in driving off the pirates or not. Her hunch was so bad.

Curious about what was going on out there, Arachlea sneaked up to the door, wanting to peek through the small hole. But her body fell backward before she could reach the door. Laughter boomed from the masked man in front of her, his body large and monstrous.

"A place for women, apparently," the man muttered and motioned for the men behind him to move forward.

Screams of shock and alarm filled the lower decks as the masked men sprang into action. Arachlea managed to duck and hide behind a cupboard, but she could see what was happening around her. Blood dripped from the ceiling, oozing through cracks in the deck below. It was the blood of the crew members who had been killed by the masked men.

"Go away! Damned Gordeganemian!" There was a woman's voice among the screams.

"Where is Lady Arachlea, where is our lady?" The servant who had brought her dinner was heard searching for her in a hoarse voice.

"Who is that woman?" someone snapped.

Behind the cupboard, Arachlea held her breath. Whatever happened now was fate. But her name was not mentioned again after that, replaced by the sounds of blows and screams, as they forced the servant to say who was being taken on this ship and where they were going. The masked male lead grunted harshly after getting a perfunctory answer.

"Satisfy yourselves quickly," he called out to the others.

The cries of pain were so heart-wrenching that Arachlea wished she could go deaf, as her ears were already ringing, and her breathing grew labored. The pirates forcibly get laid the servants who accompanied her. Swear words escaped their lips but were answered with animalistic moans from their depraved mouths. Arachlea's legs felt weak, her feet seemed as if they were floating.

Suddenly, a voice rang out, "Oh, here you are, sweet young!"

Arachlea winced as her hair was pulled, revealing her hiding place. Her eyes widened at the sight of the surroundings, blood, and liquids with an unpleasant odor littering the deck floor. She gagged herself when she realized the servants were dying. Those wicked men were brutal.

"Oh my!" Arachlea's lips felt stiff as she spoke.

"Look, I'll help them." The man who seemed to be the pirate leader said, signaling to his men.

"Agghh."

Blood sprayed as the tip of a sword struck a servant's left breast. A life was lost before Arachlea's eyes.

"For God's sake. Damn it. I swear you are all cursed creatures!" growled Arachlea with trembling lips.

The masked pirates laughed in response to Arachlea's words as if they were happy with what was happening in front of them. It wasn't long before they killed the other women.

Arachlea could not do anything, she was so sorry that she cursed herself.

The pirate leader held her wrist as Arachlea bit the man to let her go, a slap landing on her cheeks.

"Let go and let me drown!" Arachlea roared. She would rather drown than die at the hands of these wicked men.

"No matter how much you say it, your death won't be that easy, Lady," the man said and then suddenly landed his tongue on Arachlea's lips, making Arachlea spit in disgust.

Arachlea continued to rebel, already shattered in her pride for not daring to come out of hiding so that even the servants became victims of the pirates' depraved lust. Now she was also shackled by the rope around her wrists.

She would not follow that man, not ever! She would rather die than surrender. The pirate leader forced him to walk away from the lower deck.

"Hahaha, you think I'll let you jump into the ocean?" he sneered as if he could read Arachlea's mind.

Irritated, Arachlea deliberately stomped her foot, stomping hard on the pirate's foot.

"Don't you dare mess with me, noble girl! I'll get a big ransom if you're fine. But you should die now if your skin is scratched just a little!" The threat came to her.

Arachlea softened, perhaps by giving the men a few moments, she would find out who they were. Her servants had suspected that they were Gordeganemian plotters, while the man had just whined about the ransom money.

"Listen, I'm not going to kill you. You just calm down, don't rebel," the man whispered after carrying her like a sack of rice to their still intact and larger ship.

"Tsk, after I saw it all before my eyes?" cried Arachlea in annoyance.

"Are they that precious to you?" the man responded.

"Hmm, just so you know, I was the youngest diplomat. I was also once the right-hand man of the governor under the Gordeganemian Kingdom. You know it's a country that's famous for its warriors. We ...."

"No one asked you." Arachlea deliberately cut off the man's nonsense.

"While you?" Instead of showing an offended face, the man asked back. "You must be a noble child, right? Where are you from and where are you going?"

"Eufibutla, I'm on a private trip to any place that can give me a lot of pearls," Arachlea intentionally avoided mentioning the true destination.

"Oh, I can give you what you're looking for. It's an easy thing, come with me. I promise I will make you happy." The man seemed excited upon hearing Arachlea's wish.

"What a big mouth you have," Arachlea sneered. She was slightly baiting the man despite her disgust.

"Yes, your wish is an easy one for me. But right now, I have other matters that are far more important," he argued. Arachlea did not doubt that the masked man in front of her was nothing but a loudmouth.

"What business?"

"Pursuing a peace mission between Gordeganemian and Seodurnag. No, not that, more like giving Seodurnag a chance to become a sovereign kingdom, if they would stop harassing Gordeganemian in any way of course." The man said proudly.

Arachlea was taken aback, only to realize that this ship had changed its course long ago, heading to the same place as her original destination.

***