His body froze up at the voice.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!"

He slowly turned around, apprehensive at what he had got himself into.

It was Ick, shakily holding a large dagger in his hands, his feet struggling to find purchase on the rocky floor.

He was trying to stay strong even as his face betrayed his fear at the unknown man.

Vin raised his hands slowly in surrender, "Hey, hey. I am not here to hurt you."

'What do I do now? That was a stupid move to make!'

"Please put that down."

Ick kicked the guy resting on his side with his boots, waking him up. Slowly, Vin found himself facing down a barrage of weapons from all the previously sleepling people.

The gruff intimidating man who had been in charge of cutting the bodies up to fire-sized pieces(gulp) scowled at him, terrifying him more than the others could. He approached with his axe in his hands.

But the defining blow came from back and he was unconscious. Again.

======

The troupe continued their walk the next morning, the bundles on their shoulders and weapons aloft as they journeyed in the fresh and warm(er, slightly) light of the morning. The clouds still had not faded away, so maybe it wasn't morning, but only afternoon?

The interloper came to in a swaying motion, his eyes opening to another ashy sky. He tried moving his hands, his legs, no use. Looking at the sides, he could make out the people who were now apparently kidnapping him.

How fantastic.

When he moved his eyes towards his limbs, they were hogtied. To a stick. And he was hanging like a, well, a hog.

Just what he needed this morning.

No one was talking anymore, there was no laughter. Everyone was tense, and looking at the man that had somehow managed to sneak in when they were sleeping.

He really had not been thinking.

But then, he remembered, the stone. How did he even recognise it? And from a life he remembered nothing else about?

Was this how he had travelled here?

'Not the time, Vin. You are tied to a stick, upside down, and being marched to who knows where. Probably, your death.'

All he had seen since he had entered this world was death. They could cool it down a bit, honestly.

"Ahmm. Excuse me? Wh-where you are taking me?" He ventured, trying to talk to the young slim guy, Johnny.

No response

"Please, let me go. I did not do anything!"

The only woman in the group scoffed at him.

"But you were going to." The bald large man responded.

"No! I wasn't. I swear! I wasn't going to hurt you! Or steal from you!"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"What were you doing there then?" Johnny asked.

"I-I was...just," He thought for a while, and settled on, "curious. Please, let me go. Don't kill me!"

At this most of the people laughed. He fought between incredulity and fright.

Even though he hadn't gotten any answers, the atmosphere around him had calmed down considerably. No longer were they walking in tense silence, any there were even a few jokes and ribs, a lot of them at his expense.

"Think his clothes might fit you, Johnny boy? He won't need them after he is dead."

"I call his shoes!"

"The eyes are the best part. Just delicious with salt." Looking directly in Vin's eyes, the gruff man with the axe stated, "Dark eyes taste best."

His smirk sent shivers down Vin's spine. Hanging helplessly, he whimpered in fear as he tried twisting his hands and legs to get free of the bonds.

It didn't work, and now his wrists were chaffed, and he was sure so were his ankles. Turning his neck as far as it would reach, he tried determining where he was being taken.

In front of his eyes loomed a ship. Small, just big enough for a crew of eight, and their prisoner. The waves and winds were string blowing strong, the ship dancing on the rhythm and the many folded sails flapping in the wind, struggling to get free.

======

Thump!

He was heavily thrown on the ground after they had released his bonds from the branch. Before he could take in the vessel he was in, more hands were grabbing him, roughly stretching his tied arms to the hook on the mast where he was promptly hanged again.

Vin groaned at the painful treatment of his arms, first on the way over and now this. His feet were blessfully free though. He twisted his ankles, checking the damage trepidiously, as he watched the crew get back to work.

With a lot of heaving and grunts, they unfolded the sails, pulled back the anchor and soon enough the ship was in the open sea.

The day continued like that, and finally, the bow of the ship breached the ash-laden clouds that had settled into the place like fog, sunlight spilling onto the deck to the cheers of the crew.

It looked to be around noon now, the sun beating down heavily on the mast.

Vin had begun sweating profusely after a while, too scared to take his eyes off the people he was surrounded by. The earlier remarks were still playing in his head.

Were they going to kill him? He didn't know.

Once he had been sure that no one was paying attention, he had started working on the ropes, on the knots. The hook was too high to swing out off, and he was not fit enough to attempt a climb. He had tried moving around, feeling around the mast where he was tied.

So engrossed in his task, he almost missed the approaching man.

The leader of the group, who had been absent until now, regarding him thoughtfully. Still nibbling on his toothpick, he looked at his prisoner from head to toe, and asked, "Who are you?"

Vin opened his mouth in surprise, is voice croaking with dryness as he answered, "Vin."

The leader hummed, "Why were you in our camp?"

"...I was...just curious." He stammered out, wincing.

"Yeah, you said that." The leader brushed away. He took another few steps till he was only a few feet away and asked again, "Why. were. you. in. our. camp?"

He stressed each word, his voice not raising at all, still very calm and poised.

His hands were in his pockets like he couldn't care less about the answer. Vin was terrified.

He thought about his answer for a while. Should he tell them about the stone?

And say what? That a magical stone brought him here? Yeah, right.

He tried with the next best thing he could come up with, "I was hungry."

The leader looked at him properly this time. He didn't say anything, as he left Vin hanging on the mast.

Vin looked at the retreating back and sighed lightly. Moving his hands again, he resumed his search on the mast as inconspicuously as he could.

=======

It was quite some time after that, and the sun had dipped down considerably when a shadow blocked the light from a small lantern hanging in front of the cabin door.

It was the woman.

She looked at him expressionlessly from where she stood. In her hands she held two bowls with spoons, and extended one of them to him. He looked down at it, and up at her. Then he motioned at his hands helplessly.

She sighed in irritation as she took out a knife and cut the rope, dropping him mercilessly on his ass.

"Ow!"

He looked at her, indignant, as she again extended the bowl of sludge to him. He wordlessly took it, his arms protesting the movement.

"From the Cap'n." She stated, and looking at him one more time, left him to eat.

He had only been trying to get out, obviously, when he told the leader that he had been looking for food, but only after he had eaten a few bites did he realise how true it was.

Gulping down whatever it was was easier than he had thought. With half of the bowl finished, he looked up at the deck of the ship.

Everyone else was also eating.

He had been so tired, that at some point he had stopped paying attention. He had also stopped trying to cut the rope, and just hung there helplessly.

The realisation startled and scared him, as he ate the rest of the food with gusto.

"Land, ho!"