6Artuzo slowly opened his weary eyes to the surrounding world, "What happened to me?" he mumbled as the darkness did pirouettes around his eyes. A girls voice, mumbling to herself, ranting almost, reached his ears, "They won't be coming for another couple hours Molly... They can't hurt us again until then.." it seemed to say in a quiet, pained voice. Artuzo leaned against the wall of the of his eternally dark prison, "Hello?" he mumbled in a strained voice, throat parched from not having drank anything in what seemed to him as years. Artuzo heard the girl who he assumed to be Molly hush up immediatly, "Who are you?" asked the darkness. Artuzo squinted his eyes and sighed when he could make out the outline of two people in the corner, slowly he made his way over to them on his hands and knees, "hello?" Artuzo continued his painfully real crawl towards the corner.
A girls jagged nails dug into his weak arm, "Ba-ack ah-away" she hissed at him, her glare piercing the darkness as a torch sprung to life in the corner opposite them. The smaller girl, Molly whimpered, "Its them Mikashi.. its them..." Artuzo withdrew his arm quickly and held it close to his chest, "That hurt.." he mumbled glaring at the two girls who seemed to clutch eachother in hopes of closing out the torch and its bearer.
Artuzo's shinning eyes turned towards the new person in the room, he carried a whip in one hand and the torch in the other, a cruel gleam in his eyes cleared the fog in Artuzo's mind. Yoko... "Boy yeh ready tah werk?" he asked smiling in a sadistically sweet manner. Artuzo stood up on wobbly legs, the chains weighing down his limbs, "Yes Sir," Artuzo answered thinking quickly back to his experiences with his previous torturer Yoko. The man advanced on the steel bars that enclosed him in this cage and slid a key into the big lock, a click echoed in the room as the heavy-set door opened and Artuzo was dragged out of the room violently.
The dark, wet underground corridor made Artuzo shiver thinking to himself that it explained the lack of light and the chill that had set about his bones. Subtly checking for his hidden prizes, Artuzo almost smiled in relief but thought better of it thinking only of how that sadist next to him would use that oppertunity to put the cat tail whip he caressed in his hands to work if he did. Slowly the tunnel began to lighten up and fresh, salty air reached his nostrils, "Boy yeh beh meetan dah daft leader o ours," spoke the sadist in his strange accented speech.
Artuzo nodded briefly acknowledging him before he scanned his new surroundings, the tunnel ended in a wide open field on the ocean-side, just as Artuzo had expected, he would recognize salty air anywhere. Slowly Artuzo began to regain spirit, he could use this oppertunity to escape and.. The bite of the cat-tail whip in his side made him cry out, the sadist smiled, "Boy yer tah call meh Jojo an I'll be yer spirit breakerh." Artuzo's tear-filled eyes widened as a man, more imposing than Jojo stood before him grumbling, "The leader is waiting Jojo, go play with the other slaves, I'll finish bringing this one to him." The startlingly eloquent speech from the stranger almost made Artuzo look up before he caught himself.
The rest of his crawl to their leader went by slowly, too slowly for Artuzo to care for. But still all too soon it was over and Artuzo was bandaged and kneeling infront of his new master.
The man sitting before him wearing his fine silks and his feathered hat could be none other than Captain Gonzaku.
Captain of the Red Dagger..
Artuzo's new pupet-master.
What other cruel twists lie in fate's threads of fortune?
Maybe things could start to look up?
Artuzo sat facing the hull of the Red Dagger and painted, the hot sun beating down his bare shoulders and lean frame was almost too much to bear. It was nearly midday and it was already miserably hot, he dared not think of how it would be later on. Quickly he sped up his pace and tried to finish the hull as quickly as possible, it would have been nice if they'd woken him with this task earlier this morning than they had but he wouldn't complain; he enjoyed his neck far too greatly.
The sun was torturously high in the sky when Captain Gonzaku walked by, worry seemed to crease his forehead as thoughts obviously troubled him. He paced back and forth continuously in the next five minutes before he turned to Artuzo, "SLAVE," he began, "come up here, you will finish that later. I need to ask you something..." Artuzo cautiously stepped up from his perch and pulled himself onto the deck near the ship.
"Ask away Sir." Stated Artuzo, keeping himself low to the ground, "Slave, what is your name?" Captain Gonzaku asked cautiously. "Artuzo Endar Sir" Artuzo carefully answered before Captain Gonzaku clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him to his feet, "Boy, you're the talk of the town, the man that slaughtered his smith master and vanished in the night, boy you're almost a legend in your hometown!" Captain Gonzaku's rumbling laugh held no comfort to the boy stuck in his awkward grasp.
Thoughts of how when a sadist compliments you, you should know something was not right kept echoing in his mind as he stared uneasily at the ground near Captain Gonzaku's shoes. "Boy don't be so uneasy! Y'er going to be my new proto-jay!" Bellowed Captain Gonzaku happily.
Artuzo tried not to shudder at the implications of that statement, "Aye Sir!" he responded instead.
The Captain looked at him sharply, "Did I give you permission to speak boy?" Artuzo went pale, "I'm just kidding! I'm just kidding! Yer an easy one to fool!" bellowed Captain Gonzaku as he shook with mirth.
Many days came and went before Artuzo would see the Captain again. But he did eventually come, he came bearing gifts. "Artuzo, Artuzo, what's your given last name?" he demanded when he opened the cell door.
"Endar." Artuzo replied simply, he was exhausted from the continuous labor he endured on a daily basis. But the labor had succeeded in turning him into a muscular young man from a lanky youth.
"Aye, Aye, hmm... well Artuzo, y'er to be called Master Entu; the first mate of the Red Dagger from now on." Replied Captain Gonzaku after a moments' thought. Artuzo's eyes widened and he was unsure how to reply, the implications of that statement frightened, disgusted and intrigued him all at once. Quickly the Captain ushered Artuzo out into the tunnel leading out of the cave in which he'd been kept in the past several moons.
"My day of birth is fast approaching," mumbled Artuzo to himself quietly as he walked along next to the Captain, "I suppose this came at the perfect time, and I wouldn't like to be trapped on my day of birth down in some dark and dreary cave." He continued to mumble until the end of the cave came within sight and clenching his fist was all he could do to stop himself from whooping with joy.