Vanessa's face displayed clear signs of being shaken as she looked down, visibly afraid of her surroundings. Damian glanced at her but refrained from saying anything, understanding that revealing his acquaintance with her would be unwise.
After a few seconds, Vanessa mustered the courage to direct her gaze towards the new prisoners, and when her eyes met Damian's, she was overcome with disbelief.
For a brief moment, Vanessa yearned to run towards him and embrace him, but the realization of their circumstances swiftly dampened her enthusiasm. Yet, hope flickered within her.
Vanessa found herself utterly alone, making escape an arduous task. However, Damian's arrival brought a glimmer of improvement, and she felt confident that he would guide them through this ordeal.
"Look at what we have here," the pirate captain remarked, eyeing Damian from head to toe. "This one appears weak. Where did you find him?"
The majority of the other prisoners consisted of battle-hardened mercenaries, bandits, and soldiers, which made them appear more formidable. In contrast, Damian possessed flawless skin and looked like a harmless young boy.
"We discovered him unconscious inside a forest," replied one of the captors.
The captain pondered for a moment before deciding, "Assign him as a servant here. There's no point in placing him in the fights; he'll only meet his demise."
Lost in his thoughts about Vanessa and devising an escape plan, Damian paid little attention to the pirate captain's words.
The prisoners were relocated to an underground area, essentially a prison, except for Damian and another girl. They had been chosen as servants to tend to the daily chores within the pirate's household, such as cleaning and cooking.
"This works in my favor, as it brings me closer to Vanessa," Damian contemplated.
After being designated as a servant, Damian was provided with a modest servant uniform—a plain, tattered garment that matched the attire of the other household workers. As he donned the worn fabric, he couldn't help but feel a pang of indignation at his current circumstances.
Soon after, a seasoned servant named Marcus approached Damian. With his weathered face and a hint of sympathy in his eyes, Marcus took it upon himself to explain the rules and expectations of their servitude.
"Listen, lad," Marcus began, his voice hushed but earnest. "Life here ain't easy, but if you want to survive, you best pay attention."
Damian nodded attentively, eager to gather any information that could aid his plan to free Vanessa and himself.
"Firstly, the pirate captain runs a tight ship. Disobedience or incompetence will be met with severe consequences," Marcus warned, his voice tinged with caution. "You must carry out your tasks diligently and without complaint. There's no room for mistakes in this line of work."
As Marcus spoke, Damian couldn't help but notice the weariness etched into the older man's face—a testament to the hardships they were all subjected to.
"Secondly, keep your head down and your wits about you," Marcus continued, his gaze searching Damian's eyes for understanding. "Watch your back, for treachery is common among both prisoners and pirates alike. Trust no one easily, not even your fellow servants."
Damian absorbed Marcus's words, realizing that survival within the pirate's den required not only physical strength but also cunning and vigilance.
"Lastly," Marcus added, his voice softer, "I've seen many come and go in this place. Most meet their end or resign themselves to a life of servitude. But you, lad, you seem different. Hold onto that spark within you, that determination, and use it wisely."
Grateful for Marcus's guidance, Damian nodded appreciatively, acknowledging the importance of maintaining a hidden strength amidst the despair.
As Marcus concluded his explanation, Damian's mind raced with thoughts of Vanessa and their imminent escape. He knew that patience and careful planning would be their greatest allies in this treacherous journey.
Days turned into weeks, and Damian settled into his role as a servant, meticulously performing his duties while observing the routines of the pirate's household. With each passing day, he gathered valuable information about the layout of the premises, the guard rotations, and the vulnerabilities that could be exploited.
One evening, as Damian finished scrubbing the floors of the main hall, he noticed a slender, shadowy figure approach him. It was Seline, a servant girl who had been working in the pirate's house for longer than most. She had a reputation for being discreet and resourceful.
"Follow me," Seline whispered, her voice barely audible above the sounds of clinking cutlery and boisterous laughter coming from the dining hall. Damian, curious and intrigued, obliged, trailing behind her as they slipped into a dimly lit corridor.
In the secluded corridor, Seline turned to face Damian, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of caution and determination. "I've heard whispers among the servants," she began, her voice low. "Whispers of a hidden passage that leads to freedom."
Damian's heart skipped a beat. This was the breakthrough he had been waiting for—an opportunity to escape the clutches of their captors and reunite with Vanessa. He leaned in, eager to hear every detail.
Seline explained that the hidden passage was concealed behind a large tapestry in the captain's private quarters. The passage, long forgotten by the pirates, was said to wind its way through the underground catacombs and emerge outside the boundaries of the pirate's territory.
"I've been studying the guards' routines and mapping out the corridors," Seline confessed. "With your determination and my knowledge, we might just have a chance to make it through."
Damian felt a renewed sense of hope, realizing that he wasn't alone in his quest for freedom. Together with Seline's expertise and his own resourcefulness, their odds of success seemed more promising than ever.
But Damian wasn't foolish enough to trust Seline blindly. He couldn't dismiss the possibility that she, too, had ulterior motives. Marcus had warned him about the treachery that ran deep within the confines of that place, and Damian's instincts told him to be cautious.
Moreover, there was another nagging thought that consumed Damian's mind. During his initial days as a servant within the wretched walls of the pirate's stronghold, he had caught glimpses of Vanessa performing her menial tasks. However, unlike the other servants who roamed freely, a vigilant pirate always stood by her side, acting as a guard or watchdog of sorts.
Damian couldn't help but wonder why Vanessa was under such strict surveillance. What secrets or threats did she hold that warranted this level of scrutiny? The answer eluded him, but it only intensified his determination to rescue her from captivity and unravel the mysteries surrounding her presence in the pirate's clutches.
The question of why Vanessa was held captive also perplexed Damian. He recalled hearing from Frederic that both Vanessa and Hazel had been spotted together, yet only Vanessa was present, and she was now a prisoner. The absence of Hazel only deepened the mystery surrounding their situation.
As the days passed, Damian's strength gradually returned, although it was not yet at its peak. Even with the aid of his giant bloodline, which enhanced his healing abilities, the strain of his transformation still lingered. Despite this, Damian found some solace in the fact that the pirate captain had chosen to utilize him as a servant rather than subject him to the same fate as most of the other newcomers.
Through his interactions with the other servants, Damian discovered the assigned task of the other prisoners: cannon folding. The pirates had stumbled upon a peculiar structure deep within the nearby forest and were using the prisoners as expendable labor to enter and explore this enigmatic place.
The building was riddled with traps and filled with mysterious artifacts, making survival highly improbable for those sent inside. The pirates saw the prisoners' lives as mere tools to gather information about the secrets hidden within. It was a grim fate that awaited those unfortunate souls.
Damian's mind churned with a mixture of curiosity and concern. What secrets lay within that forbidden structure? And more importantly, how could he leverage this knowledge to his advantage and ensure Vanessa's safety?
Despite not fully trusting Seline, Damian couldn't ignore the possibility of a secret passage and the urgency of freeing Vanessa from the watchful pirate who trailed her every move. These became his primary objectives. However, an unexpected turn of events disrupted his plans. While he was in the middle of washing dishes, a commotion caught his attention from outside.
"Go and see what's happening, lad," Marcus said, his voice filled with concern. "I'll take over here."
"Thanks," Damian replied, appreciating Marcus's support as he swiftly left the kitchen. Through one of the mansion's windows, Damian peered outside and witnessed a group of pirates escorting Vanessa away from the courtyard, forcefully guiding her towards the depths of the forest. It was evident from Vanessa's reluctance that she did not want to go, but the pirates were resolute in their actions.
"What are they doing? Damn it," Damian cursed under his breath.
The original plan had been to rescue Vanessa and escape together, but with her no longer within the mansion's confines, their situation became considerably more challenging. Damian realized that his first priority was now to secure his own escape before he could even begin searching for Vanessa.
"I must escape, tonight!" Damian resolved, feeling a surge of determination within him.
The urgency to locate Vanessa and ensure her safety weighed heavily on his mind. With each passing moment, the need to devise a plan and execute it swiftly. If there was a secret passage or not, it did not matter.
Damian had to escape that mansion and find Vanessa, be either using a secret passage or killing his way out of the mansion.
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