Ice Princess and the Golem

Despite the return of the System to his side (pocket), nothing else changed. Russell was still slaving away beneath the tyranny of the Pirates (though at the very least, he was not slaving beneath any of the Pirates), just that this time, he had someone to whine to when the Pirates finally let him escape for the night. It had the same feeling as returning home to another person, be it fellow tenant rather than wife, and realising all the stresses of work in endless streams of verbal complaint about the boss or other colleagues or demanding customers. The only bright spot being that at the end of the month came a beautiful set of digits as a reward for all that suffering and the knowledge that once all the bills, monthly food, any clothes or unforeseen expenditure was paid for, there was a small bit left to spend how they wanted. And sometimes it was even enough to get an hour or so pay-to-view AV's....

Well Russell lived with his parents, but his mum actually took care of his pay check in order to save up for a deposit on a house for him, providing him with an allowance every month for clothes, food etcetera, probably concerned that with his single status he would otherwise spend too much money on the above mentioned pastime.

He probably wouldn't have?

Anyway, this slave thing didn't provide money, there in lie the difference between work and slavery. Two meals a day and lodging didn't really count.

[Kingdom Summary]

[Kingdom Level; 1]

[Population; 47]

[Culture Level....

...Points Balance; 720 (+30)]

He only gained 30 points today? No, that did not count as 'pay' per say. It wasn't given to him by the Pirates and he couldn't spend it as he wished. The Seagull, previous incarnation of the System, had placed a ban on the market app, not believing that Russell had learned his lesson. He had, honestly; he was only planning on purchasing one treat from Earth this month. He had a craving for Malteasers.

Pushing that aside, it turned out that despite the label pinned to him as a slave (they'd used charcoal and a half-clean handkerchief to design it), he could still earn points through the 'tasks' they set him. He just couldn't refuse them as before due to the threat of steel being pushed through his gullet.

His fellow 'slave' on the other hand, was still receiving premium treatment. She was allowed to laze in her straw bed until the sun rose high, ate with the crew upon a stump placed just for her and although she had to be 'humiliated' with endless stares that were not aimed at her face, she was never made to play nighttime activities with any of the burly men. The female Captain would not allow such shenanigans! The last man that attempting to 'accidentally' brush past the girl claiming that there was not enough room thanks to the abundance that nature had seen fit to give her, he'd been punished by having to stand in a pit of ice water all night.

Ice water?

It turned out, that the female Captain was the Captain for three very good reasons. The first was due to the fact that she had inherited the ship from her feared Pirate father, who went by the name of Blond Beard, fiercest Pirate in the Southern Seas, the latter part was only added to official documents. Out of respect for she who dared send the later white haired old man to a watery grave in true Pirate tradition (walking the plank) and for the man who sired her, she remained the Captain without much fuss. Plus, she had a rare, magical ability (something that was labelled 'alchemy' in her old world); she had the ability to shape and manipulate water and turn it into ice. So after several men ended their lives as popsicles and dunked into the endless blue of the ocean, she was no longer challenged, plus she gained the original moniker of 'Ice Princess, coldest Pirate of the Southern Seas'.

Thanks to her ability, her ship sailed with fluid ease upon the ocean, while their prey could only sit in stagnant water and wait to be attacked. It had also saved them during many a heavy storm, the high waves and pouring rain could not sink them. But a convenient lightning strike that had merrily made its way from the heavens to find interest in her second mate's newly purchased metal peg leg, most definitely could.

The very next morning, Russell was awakened from sleep in a most convenient way, one that saw him 'showered', his clothes 'washed' and floor 'cleaned'. The Pirate who'd given him this impromptu bath, laughed at his own prank before whistling his way towards the fire pit. This was located at the centre of the village, a series of fallen logs about it so the Pirates could sit about the fire as it burned and eat chunks of fish or bird (which had been unlocked following a spider population explosion) meat with their hands or soup in carved bowls.

Russell shivered as he made his way out of the now muddy mud hut, moving to a sunnier spot as he attempted to relight the fire for breakfast as was his first 'chore'. He made a big song and dance over the old method of spinning a dowel in a hole of a log to make friction and sparks before tossing on dry grass and blowing on the embers to start the fire. This was all a play. In fact, the rodent System snuck beneath his kneeling body and lit the tinder with the King's lighter, before it was used to spread the fire to the wood.

Wet and scaly flesh appeared in a heap beside Russell, the tails of the flapping fish still very active and splashing droplets of seawater on an already wet man and his newly lit fire. Fortunately, the flames didn't go out despite hissing somewhat.

Russell looked up at the man who had just provided the raw ingredient that would become breakfast. He was tall, square shaped like a Lego man that had had his rounded yellow head removed in favour of a single cube with an angry emoticon drawn on it.

[ ⋋_⋌]

This man was the third reason the Captain could stay Captain. He was the first mate, second in command, a wall made out of meat, but might as well have been chiselled out of marble for all anyone could move him. And he was entirely loyal to the Captain. Not in a lover sort of way or even that of a fierce hound for its owner, but more like... a golem? That sort of clay man or automaton with instructions forced into its head which made it obey its master without question. And not only was the first mate a loyal tank, but also could wield anything as a weapon and use it to kill. According to one gossiping Pirate, he had once used the stiffened corpse of a sailor to beat another of that man's crew to death... of course that could have been an exaggeration... he might have just used a leg.

Russell shuddered as the man, who was as silent as death, turned on his heel and walked away without a word, leaving him to deal with the pile of floppy fish.

"Ah, seems like the First Mate likes you!" Joked the prankster from this morning as he smacked Russell heavily on the back. Russell felt like an internal organ or two had moved placement with the 'beating'.

"Why do you say that?"

"'Cos if he didn't, you'd be the one roasting on the fire!" The prankster haw-hawed, but apart from Mad Peck, no one else laughed with him. At first Russell thought that was because the prankster wasn't actually joking, later he found out that the man actually had a death wish and no one else wanted to join him. Why else would he take the piss out of a man who could snap his neck without a warning?

But at this point, Russell was naive and thought that the First Mate did indeed eat the flesh of those who displeased him and avoided him as much as possible while being polite and obedient the rest of the time.

"Stop ya belly-aching!" The Captain called out, sauntering forward with her sword brandished, waving it about here and there. Petunia was sporting a sour face as she followed behind her. The Captain indicated with a nod that she should sit and she flopped down unceremoniously, crossing her arms and pouting. "Ah, our little princess is hungry," the Captain teased her, lifting her chin with the handle of the sword, causing the girl to lose her former expression. Satisfied, the woman left her alone to yell out; "Where's the food?"

Russell didn't answer, just quickly pierced the fish on sticks and set them over the fire to cook.