"Wake. It's time to rise."
Neferpitou's eyes shot open, and gleaned only an all-encompassing dark. The air was cold and dry, and Neferpitou first noticed that there seemed to be no drafts of wind or scents. Wherever they were, it appeared that they were sealed in completely. They remained quiet for a moment, closing their eyes once more and tuning their ears to pick up any sounds they could, no matter how slight. They were greeted by a dense silence. They could tell in the recess of their mind that they were utterly alone, and so the thought of calling out to another never surfaced in their conscious. They tried to move, but found their limbs bound by a firm thing that echoed clangs.
"Chains."
They could not move their head very well. Something cold and strong was tightly wrapped around their neck, making it similarly difficult to breathe. It trailed backward, seemingly rising and connected to a surface. Their ankles were forced together rather bluntly by something similar. They realized they were suspended in the air.
"Shackles."
Neferpitou scowled, and grinded their teeth together in agitation. They restlessly jostled their body back and forth, and their breathing became sharper and louder. Their heart was starting to race, and their jostling now became violent. They were growling and sneering as they moved, their patience thinning by the second.
"If you want to leave, just leave. Break it."
Neferpitou's frustrations had reached their tipping point. It really was that simple, they realized. They hunkered their body over, leaning their head forward and bringing their arms inward as much as they could. Little by little, they felt themselves able to pull just a bit more. They felt something in the pit of their stomach as their body strained. Their core burned, the muscles tightly wound with as much effort as Neferpitou could muster. And then...
POP.
The burning feeling amplified, surging through their body. Their every muscled seemed to feel the same tightness their stomach did. Neferpitou quickly realized what was happening.
"Chakra."
What they assumed to be the pain of their efforts was, in fact, their chakra pool racing to life. The energy flourished through their body. They felt strength coursing, and pulled their limbs and head forward once more. The chains snapped easily this time, as though made from fragile timbers, and Neferpitou dropped several meters down onto a floor made of stone. They inhaled and exhaled sharply, and clarity filled their mind. They felt the burning chakra signatures of a group above them.
"You're underground."
Neferpitou's leg muscles tensed in preparation, and they crouched low to the ground. With a small grunt, they leaped upward.
Captain Kashi had been barking orders at his men since sunrise. The fisherman threw and pulled their reels from the deck of the ship, throwing their catch into nearby barrels. The waters were full of life today, as the Captain's sharp instincts had predicted. The rotund and burly man's voice boomed nonstop, more lively than even the river. His mobile crew, disciplined from years of crushing hard work under Captain Kashi's grueling training, pulled nets of fish they had caught from along the river up the walkway and onto the ship.
The men's diligent work came interrupted as the ground began to shake. They glanced around at each other and their surroundings, murmuring in confusion and gradual worry. Earthquakes weren't common to the area. Captain Kashi glanced his eyes at a spot that began to crack, the dirt and rock beginning to jut upward.
"Hey, look over the-"
The ground exploded before Kashi could finish his statement. The sheer power of the shockwave tore through the ship, capsizing it and sending many of the men crashing into the river. Large segments of the earth rained down across the terrain, crushing several of the fisherman and smashing into the ship. Kashi opened his eyes, and found himself lodged under a section of the ship's mast, hurled from the impact of the stone projectiles. He struggled to push the mast off, but to no avail. his right arm and legs were trapped under its diagonal alignment, and he was certain something in his left arm was broken. His breathing dropped to rasping, and he felt something begin to fill his lungs. Through his blurred vision, he caught a glimpse of one final image: the piercing eyes of Neferpitou looking at him from where the earth had been shattered.