𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬 𖥸 𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩 𝘼𝙣𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙨

021. Savior

Jillian was covered in blood.

     Her blood, obviously. It caked her skin, dripped down her fingers, and trickled from her jaws. She stared blankly upward, unable to move.

     Strands of her brunette hair were in her face, in her eyes and making it a lot more difficult to see what was happening around her.

     Every time she shifted her position, it brought another fresh wave of pain.

      Currently, she had sank her teeth into her lip in an effort to muffle any noise as her eyes flashed with anger. Why did she always have to end up in these situations? Why couldn't she just have a normal day for once in her life?

     Pathetic.

     She would never have a normal life. That came with the job of being the only female pirate captain in the seas.

     The men had left almost an hour ago, leaving her to bleed out on the table which she was restrained. She could hear her blood dripping to the wooden floor below.

     She was in pain, but all that mattered was the fact that she was still alive.  
 
     At least they only sought to inflict pain using a dagger.

     Jillian didn't know how much time passed away as she laid there, unable to move, but she was certain it had been hours since she had last seen those who were tormenting her.

     Were they simply leaving her body to rot and get consumed by rats? Probably.

      There wasn't any other reason to keep her alive.

      She wouldn't just break for them. She knew they had to get bored of her sooner or later. Women like her were disposable after all.

      Sooner or later, the door swung open wide and in walked familiar footsteps. Great. Just great.

     "And here I thought I'd spent at least another hour here with the rabid rats," Jillian commented in a clipped tone.

     Gustavo regarded her with a long expression, fingers stroking the blade in his hands. "I see you're still full of attitude as ever."

     "I don't break easily," Jillian replied sweetly. "So give up. You're getting nowhere."  

      "We shall see what the day brings, hmm, Captain?"

     Jillian merely bared her teeth in reply.

     Gustavo raised an eyebrow before he approached slowly. "Perhaps we need to change our tactics," He mused, speaking more to his crew than her. They were currently stationed about the area. Some in the room, some outside . They were everywhere.
    
      "What in the name of Halawir is that supposed to mean?" She growled, her dark eyes narrowed.

     Gustavo merely chuckled in reply, the sound making Jillian sick to her stomach. "You'll see." He turned to one of his crew mates. "Bring the electric rod."

     Jillian's breath quickened. What in Erdas? They couldn't be serious. An electric rod was used for livestock, not humans.

     One of the other men approached and handed a long metal rod to the male, to which he took it with a cruel smirk.

     "Don't you dare—" Jillian growled out, but her voice was lost the moment the rod made contact with her skin. A long string of agonized curses left her parted jaws as she arched her back, trying to hold in a scream.

     "Anything to say now, captain?" Gustavo mocked with a sadistic smile as he pulled the device away from her skin. "Look a little pale there."

      "You sick—" Jillian cursed colorfully as she gritted her teeth, biting her lip so hard she could feel it split and bleed. Unbelievable. This was unbelievable.

     Gustavo pressed it into her side once more, sending another fresh wave of pain which she spasmed too. She could barely hold back the scream that time.

      Way too much. This was overwhelming for her. She had never felt so much pain shoot through her at once, and didn't know how much more she could take before the pain alone killed her.

      When the electric rod was pulled back once again, she panted heavily to catch her breath. Her vision was starting to fail her. Was she going to pass out?

      Her entire head felt as though it had been shoved under water. She was vaguely aware of Gustavo speaking to one of his crew mates, but she didn't even glance at them. She just felt so disoriented. 

     "S-Stop—"

     As soon as she spoke, the tip of the rod poked her side, sending a small jolt through her body.
 
      She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling an intense headache begin to form as the ringing in her ears increased rapidly. Now she couldn't hear a thing, just the insufferable bells.

      The voices increased, but she couldn't exactly decipher what was being said. Were they talking to her? Suddenly, Gustavo retracted the rod in a quick movement, whirling around. The captain of the Winged Shadow couldn't find the strength to lift her head to see why. What was going on?  

     Jillian could faintly hear something pounding on the wooden deck - something heavy. She turned her head just as the door swung open, and multiple cries of alarm sounded around her.

      Her vision faded from there and not there, but she still got a few glimpses of what was happening. First, the man to the left of the door fell to the floor with a blade through his heart. The second fell shortly after. She knew she should be alarmed, but she wasn't all there. She didn't have the will to care what happened to her or anyone around her.

     "I really hate it when people touch my stuff."

      Her eyes snapped open at that voice. She should have realized from the start who this was. The limping footsteps, the blade . . .

      It was Ramiro.