A Downward Spiral" - Jacula Wrote:Ahote was bound by cartel law, although reluctant he decided to bring Inuleki in for questioning. The elf was uncooperative, yet he had no chance of fighting back. By the end of the day Inuleki had been imprisoned in the brig of a docked ship which belonged to the cartel, stuffed into a small cage which would become his personal hell. The week ahead would contain torment and suffering beyond what he could have ever imagined..
The cage was just big enough for Inuleki to be able to sit down with his back leaned against the bars. Ahote had left him there in the supervision of two goblin bruisers without saying where he was going. Wary and frightened the small elf wrapped his arms around his legs and reflected over what had got him into his unlikely predicament.
Inuleki had since his childhood had anti-social tendencies, which had resulted in a life of crime. Ranging from petty to more serious feats. However, he had never been imprisoned before. He had heard frightening tales from his older peers in Silvermoon, little did he know that the suffering which awaited him far exceeded any tale or ballad.
About half an hour passed before Ahote made his way below deck again, a short although stocky bruiser hobbled towards the brig in front of him with a rather large ring of keys in his hand. The troll Leeva and the draenei Ventus followed close behind.
To Inuleki's confusion the two latter where caged up next to him. He had not been present as Awak had captured Leeva again, as well as Elina after the violent skirmish in the jungle outside the bay. The bounty hunter had made his way back into the bay where he had sold them both to the slavers present.
However, Ventus had unselfishly enough offered to take Elina's place as a slave, after having revealed his skill set and standing with the light his offer had been accepted. And so it came to be that Inuleki, Leeva and Ventus had been imprisoned in the cartel's ship brig, for entirely different reasons.
Frightened by the predicament he found himself in Inuleki tried to converse with his fellow captives, regretfully Leeva's impression of the young elf had changed. She blamed him for her own imprisonment and turned to Ventus with the intent of ignoring him.
Confused and hurt from her comments Inuleki cowered in his cage and refrained from speaking. Ahote soon returned, and surprisingly enough Leeva and Ventus was freed. Apparently the tauren had bought them both as slaves, leaving only Inuleki remaining in the brig of the ship.
As time passed his body began to grow more stiff and strained from the lack of movement one was allowed in the cage. What seemed like hours passed before Ahote returned to interrogate Inuleki. The young elf having grown increasingly wary and frightened.
The tauren inquired about the intricacies of the Bayside flower company, yet seeing as Inuleki's knowledge was limited he could only tell him the little he knew. That being Edorann's and Annabelle's names, the house in the bay where the allegedly operated from, as well as the name of It's leader, which Edorann had referred to simply as "Gat".
Ahote had listened intently of what Inuleki had to say, yet as the young elf seized to speak given his lacking knowledge there was no release to be had. The tauren claimed that he had no say in the matter and left Inuleki in his cage over the night.
The notion that he was in bigger trouble than he had at first though soon became a reality. The brig's crude wooden floor was unpleasant to sit on, It's ambiance as a whole a frightening one. One could overhear the screeching of the massive beams which served as the ships frame, as if the wood groaned every time the smallest of waves caressed It's length.
There was little sleep to be had the first night. Inuleki awoke to the sound of gulls chattering loudly while soaring around the mast of what had become his prison. His throat had grown dry under the night, his stomach craving nourishment. Sadly, there was none to be had as he awaited Ahote's return.
After a few hours the tauren returned. The waiting having grown at the brink of torturous for Inuleki. Sadly the intent of his visit was not to release him. Ahote assured him that everything was going to be alright as soon as the cartel had been given the information they wanted. A claim which brought confusion to Inuleki's mind given that he had told them everything he knew on the first day.
Little did he know that they suspected him to be far more knowledgeable than what he was in reality. Another Sin'dorei who went by the name Taelyn came to interrogate him, as if the cartel though that the answers given would be different.
Soon enough Inuleki began to realize that he was not being released anytime soon. Taelyn having referred to him as pathetic, taunting him as he suffered in the small cage which would come to be a device of torture under the coming days.
Inuleki was fed small amounts of bread and water, as if the lacking nourishment would motivate him to spill everything he knew about the Bayside flower company, regretfully and to his captors disbelief he already had on the very first day.
The delusion that the bars of his cage was closing in on him became a reality as times passed. Each hour which went by feeling like an eternity in Inuleki's mind, those during the cold night being the worst to cope with.
The screeching noise of the ships wooden frame would come to remind him of the invasion of Silvermoon. He had been all alone in the midst of chaos, watching as his kin was brutally slaughtered. The streets had run red with blood that day, the maimed corpses of friend and foe alike having littered the streets in morbid heaps and mounds.
Inuleki has fled into the ruins of the city's remains, hiding as torturous screams had risen to the skies. The young boy had retreated deep within his own mind to survive, but as the screeching of the ships frame reminded him all those blocked out feelings surfaced.
Inuleki cried and screamed throughout the night, his stay in the cage growing increasingly unbearable. The haunting memories reminding themselves over and over, ripping away at his already fragile mind.
The invasion of Silvermoon might have taken place a long time ago, but It had scarred his heart deeply. Much as it had left a path of destruction slanting over the length of Eversong woods and crushed the elven walls which had kept him safe from the world outside. The dead scar was an abomination time couldn't heal, as was the one in his heart.
Soon enough the days and hours spent in cage blurred. The ever darkened light of the brig leaving him unable to know if it was day or night. Ahote visited now and then to feed him small portions of bread, yet the tauren's words rung hollow in Inuleki's mind. Everything was not going to be alright.
He found himself spending most of his time fidgeting a small pouch which held three pearls inside. They had been given to him by Ophiria, a elven girl he had met in Silvermoon months ago. He had been extremely nervous around her at first, but as they had spent more time together he had grown increasingly comfortable in her company.
They had explored the depth of Eversong woods together, and she would always be kind and treat him well. The pearls had been collected in the clear waters of a lake in Eversong's outskirts, Ophiria had sent them to him by letter. Once reflecting over their time together Inuleki realized that it had been the most joyous part of his life.
In truth Inuleki loved Ophiria, the thought of her kind words and company serving as the only force which fought back the torturous reality he found himself in. Several days had passed, and Inuleki grew ever weaker from dehydration and the anguish which consumed his mind. Would he ever see Ophiria again?
On an early afternoon a female human had sought herself to the brig where Inuleki sat caged. She was clad in a finely tailored suit and wore a exquisite hat. She introduced herself as Ms.Josie and her mannerism was very kind, understanding and empathic.
She made a good impression on Inuleki, she being the only person having come to visit him for what seemed like an eternity. In many ways Joselyn reminded him of what his mother used to be like before her tragic passing. Always kind, warm and forgiving. Serving as a hopeful light in the harsh reality he found himself in.
Yet soon enough he would come to realize that a cruelty within Joselyn was obscured by her soothing voice and warm smile. A hint soon became visible after another disappointing interrogation.
Joselyn's interests where much as Ahote's with the cartel, the weakened and malnourished state of the young elf seemingly taking second place. Whatever hope she had created within Inuleki was soon to be replaced by malign hatred.
He continued to disappoint the cartel with his lacking knowledge of It's rivals. They seem to have grown to believe that he was the key to their dominance over the bay. As much as he tried to convince himself that he would be free, his mind and body grew ever fragile.
An unexpected twist of events finally pushed Inuleki over the edge. The cartel had located Ophiria who had unfortunately heard of Inuleki's imprisonment through the rumors which circulated within the bay. In the company of Ahote and Taelyn she was escorted to the ship.
She had cried as she witnessed Inuleki in his weakened state, and so had the young elf as he looked upon her. They had only been given seconds before Ahote dragged her away again, Joselyn watching the scene seemingly untouched by It's sad context.
The message was clear. Inuleki realized that he was no longer alone at the mercy of the cartel. He would not be able to live with himself if they where to hurt Ophiria because of him. And as Joselyn transcended into anything but the caring mother figure he had originally though her to be with claims that they would torture him, he finally snapped.
He reflected over what agony awaited him and he realized that he wanted none of it. He knew that they would have no reason to hurt Ophiria if he was gone. Joselyn had left him with a glass in his cage, if she had forgot to remove it or left it willingly was unknown to him. But by crushing it against the floor with the little strength he had left him with several pieces of decent sized shards.
He debated his predicament inside his head throughout the night. Mentally crippled from the cruel treatment he had received, and the alleged torture which awaited. After a long, sleepless night his blood-shot eyes where forced to look upon Joselyn again. She had returned and spoke of the torturer which was soon to arrive.
Inuleki fidgeted the glass shard behind his back, his eyes tearing up as he realized what awaited him. As another human who went by the name Kyle made his way down the stairs and towards the brig he decided that it would be for the best. With closed eyes and his last thoughts consumed by Ophiria and the joy she had given him Inuleki dug the shard into his forearm.
Blood began to gush from the wound as he dug the shard as deep as he could, carving down his arms length before stopping just above the wrist. He could feel the shard's tip scrape against the bone as he did. The pain was almost unbearable, but given the swift blood loss he soon began to drift away.
The pain faded before his body grew completely numb, blood gushed from his arm and onto the crude wooden floor. Seeping through the cracks of the floorboards. With his last ounce of strength he managed to whisper, as if to reassure himself. "I'm g-going.. Home'
Inuleki could only remember fragments of what happened next. Joselyn and Kyle had dragged him out of the cage and stitched his arm to stop the bleeding. They had given him some sort of stimulant to bring him back as they had bound him to a chair. They had tried to interrogate him after forcefully feeding him given his malnourished state. Sadly the elf where in no shape to answer any questions.
Inuleki swayed back and forth from conscious and unconsciousness. Kyle had pointed out that not even the prisoners in the stockades used to be in such bad shape. He remembered throwing up the food they had forced down his throat, then everything turned blank.
Joselyn and Kyle had transported him to a room in the local tavern, laying him down on a bed where he could rest and recover. Two cartel bruisers where stationed outside the keep watch, miraculously Inuleki survived. The small cage having brought him so much mental anguish and suffering that he had lost his will to live.
Joselyn tended to Inuleki while he recovered, bringing him a tray of food three times per day. Sadly the young elf was not the same, as if part of him had died once he had attempted to take his own life. He refused to eat and drink to Joselyn's dismay. For in his mind, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of watching him suffer more than he had to.
The hatred he felt towards Joselyn grew ever stronger. Once having recovered enough strength to stand he had tried to choke her, a previously uncharacteristic act of violence which he began to crave more and more in her presence. Sadly he was too weak, and she had easily pushed him to the floor. After that the hatred seemed to grow mutual between both of them.
Word traveled fast through Booty bay and soon most knew of the elf mysteriously imprisoned in the tavern. There where daily visits of people wanting to talk to Inuleki, but there was only one person he wanted to see. His thoughts where with Ophiria throughout the time he spent in the improvised cell.
After having grown increasingly self-destructive and violent, still refusing to eat and drink Inuleki had attacked Ahote. He had managed to pull one of the tauren's massive daggers from his belt, yet after having realized that whatever he tried to do to the tauren another would simply take his place. He had instead pointed the dagger to himself in another suicide attempt.
Regretfully Ahote had been quick to strike him which such force that he knocked him out cold. Inuleki grew ever weaker after that, and soon enough he did nothing but lie in the bed of the room. Slowly fading away as he felt that his predicament had grown to be completely hopeless.
The amount of time he had been imprisoned was unknown to him, every hour felt like a day, every day felt like a week. A monotonous hell which had no end to it. Yet as he awoke one morning he found two notes laying on the small table next to his bed, he reached for them slowly and began to read.
The letter from Ophiria brought joy to his heart. Yet he didn't have too long to reflect over it as his blood-shot eyes lingered over the smaller one next to it. The smaller note brought confusion to Inuleki's mind. Had the cartel tired of keeping him locked away, had they finally realized that he knew nothing more of use?
With nothing to lose Inuleki followed the notes instructions. And sure enough it sat an act in motion. Joselyn had entered the room and placed two fingers on his neck, there was clearly a pulse. Still she had exclaimed of his demise just loud enough for the bruisers to hear.
A crowd soon gathered outside of the door to observe the spectacle. Joselyn requested the aid of a Sin'dorei paladin named Velina who helped carry Inuleki through the bay to the cartel ship where he had had earlier been imprisoned.
Inuleki made sure to remain completely motionless as he was carried, his malnourished body surprisingly light. His breathing too vague to be detected given his poor state. Velina had laid him down carefully on a table inside the ship, the curious crowd having been kept back by bruisers.
As the paladin left Joselyn had clad Inuleki in a black robe, not uttering a word to him as if in fear of revealing the act. The elf Taelyn soon entered the room, he did not seemed surprised by Inuleki's alleged death and helped Joselyn place him in a roomy crate while conversing of other cartel business.
Inuleki struggled to remain completely motionless, frightened as a lid was placed over the crate. Thankfully Joselyn refrained from sealing it. She acquired the help from a draenei named Vadim in carrying the crate into the jungle where it was placed in an already awaiting wagon. Joselyn's intentions was unknown to Inuleki, perhaps she wanted to protect her own name by covering up that she had failed to extract the intended information from the young elf, perhaps she had began to pity him.
Joselyn patted the crate as she exclaimed 'I really hope it makes it safely. No one will be able to see this wagon once it is beyond that hill' she gestured out into the wide stretching jungle before adding 'The jungle is freedom'.
After having tapped the crate the wagon began moving. Inuleki eventually lifted to lid of the crate carefully, seeing nothing but the exotic fauna through the small crack. He was free.