The Crossroads of Contempt! The Ravens Defined!

[Vio]

1

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“Didnae ye hear? They say some kinda hooded figure be roamin’ the isles,” said the rugged patron of a small tavern, his tones hardly hushed but ignored by others all the same. His company, burly and scruffy, took a large gulp of mead from a polished but well-used tankard. “Word’s travelin’ fast that this lad – or lass, Ah’m nae sexist – be deliverin’ messages with arrows! Shootin’ ‘em from nowhere, missin’ by the width of a bee’s eyebrow!”

^{“Ollie,” replied the bigger man, slamming his tankard:
“Ye nae tryin’ ta scare me, are ye Ollie?”}

^{“Wh– What? Nae, Arnie. Nae! Ah’m joost–”}

“Bartender,” called a man’s voice, lacking in the distinct accent of the Piktish Isles. Dressed in black and green, he walked quietly towards the counter, sliding himself onto a rarity – an empty barstool – and slapped something down on the counter. Dozens of pairs of eyes peered, glared or narrowed upon the stranger, scanning his tall form. He carried no weapons – no apparent means of self-defence. Though, any self-respecting Piktish native knew better than to think an unarmed man was vulnerable. His hand moved away, revealing a stack of cash, and to the barkeep this dark-haired stranger said: “A round for the tavern. On me.”

^{… … …}

“Ayyyy!!!” The whole establishment erupted. Men and women jumped out of their seats, some even onto tables, raising their flasks and tankards – and in the case of a larger man, a keg with a handle applied – and cheering wildly. Some burst into drunken songs of praise, others gave the man in leaf and night sky a firm slap on the back. Those would leave a mark. Greenish eyes discreetly glimpsed the tables nearest the window.

About half an hour passed. Mid afternoon rolled along.

Thwack! Dazed and panicked, Ollie found himself pinned against the back wall of ‘The Duck’s Back’, cornered like a rat in the twisted back-alley of Pikt’s capital. Rugged-faced, medium-built, not too shabbily dressed; the auburn storyteller was pressed against the wall, fingers pressed tightly around his jaw and neck to hold him so that he barely stood on tiptoes.

^{“Wh– What do you want!?” he gasped:
“Who… Who the f*€k are you!?”}

“I should ask you the same question, ‘Ollie’,” the man replied. The same man who had entered the tavern and ordered drinks for all. This man was Caine Marlus, but the renegade bowman – albeit without his bow – was not about to tell his captive that. Hawkish hues glared into the man’s brown ones. “You know, you really are good with accents. You sounded like a real native Pikt in there. If I was still a Marine, I’d probably take you back to Fort Connery, throw you in a cell. But, a little birdie told me that’s your plan anyway, am I wrong…?”

^{“Hn!?” Recognition formed:
“You’re… The hooded bowman!?”}

^{“No,” Marlus answered. “But I am looking for them.”}

“I don’t believe you,” Ollie snarled through waning breath. “You heard me talking about you and now you’re going to silence me, aren’t you? An Ex-Marine? HAH! That explains why you’d turn to Dragon’s side! Learn to lie, b@$+@rd!”

^{“I didn’t,” came the calm reply:
“So he is part of the Revolution.”}

^{“I– I… What?”}

“This country’s in a predicament,” Marlus explained, eyes never turning from the befuddled look upon Ollie’s face. “Tensions are already high and the locals don’t really like the Marines being here, but they just smile and wave. Citizens dissatisfied with the Navy? That’s prime pickings for a Revolutionary Army siege upon a lightly manned outpost like Fort Connery. And word on the grapevine is the Marines recently dredged up and confiscated a large amount of treasure from Loch Shiess, which I’m sure a lot of pirates like you have their eyes on. Ollie. Go back to your Captain and tell them to leave Pikt; you’re my show of mercy. Go.”

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SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Caine, Marlus (8b008b)
Pirate Ollie (aaaaaa)
Pirate Arnie (111111)}

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[Flame]

"So approximately how much further Viktoria?" The fishwoman's voice filled the void momentarily as she and the thresher shark mermaid next to her made their slow crossing of the sea floor from Falfries in the heading of Fort Connery. "Shouldn't be too much further, probably another hour or two if we swim. It'll be slower if you're content to just walk Merle." The mermaid addressed her with her name just as she had.

They'd already been on this trip for the last few hours having left from Falfries the day previous. As she walked considering her objects she thought of what'd happened in the past few days since she'd left the ship. There'd been many things and many realizations, but now she was heading back.

"Hmmm ... yeah let's swim. I'll race you!" With a press of her feet Syph jumped up and began to kick. Behind her the beat of the merfolk's tail swiftly accelerated towards her. "Trying to race one of the merfolk Merle?" The thresher mermaid asked her from behind as she put on the pressure. Merle glanced back for a moment her eyes meeting those of the mermaid as the faster folk began to close the distance.

In the battle of fin versus legs she was obviously at a disadvantage. "You underestimate the speed of the Flying Fish!" The fishwoman declared as she put on another burst of speed her legs beating against the water in perfect sync. Thus did the pair race through the water keeping pace with each other.

---

After about twenty minutes of fast paced swimming the pair slowed. "Hey is that a ..." Merle's attention tilted upward to the bottom of a ship. She headed upwards surfacing beside the ship. Beside her Viktoria hit the surface staring up at the looming ship beside them. It wasn't just any ship either, Merle's eyes widened as she came face to face with a marine battleship. "It's the Marines, wanna say hi?"

Merle whirled on her shaking her head suddenly before diving under the water. Her last encounter with the marines not too long ago had colored her opinion of them more so than usual. "What's the problem? Marines twist you the wrong way?" The mermaid asked with bland curiosity. "You could say that ..." The fishwoman returned with a nervous laughter. The wound in her foot while mostly healed still rubbed her the wrong way too much.

Her thoughts slid elsewhere as she thought of the marine ship incoming. Its heading based on the wake was the same as theirs. "Come on, lets hurry up and make it to the Fort."

SPOILER: Click to show

Bleh ... it'll take me a few posts to get into the groove i think

[Vio]

2

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“Ah didnae think ye’d be so brutal, Marl,” said the familiar voice of Ewan, a russet-haired man just a year the archer’s senior and of very similar yet bulkier stature. He stood with arms folded casually, eyebrow raised as he leaned against the wall. His cohort’s quarry, ‘Ollie’, had been allowed to bail, and had done so with an incredible amount of spring in his step. “But tell me this; do ye really think yer gonna stand much of a chance against both the Marines and the Revolution? Why are ye so intent on doin’ this, anyway?”

^{“I’ve a point to prove,” Caine replied:
“And I have some debts that need settling…”}

“So, let me get this straight,” Mister Kincaid continued. “Ye’ve joost challenged a pirate crew, already ‘ave yeself some beef wi’ the Navy, and now ye’re lookin’ to butt ‘eads wi’ the Revolution, too? Do ye want to p!$$ off some more hornets and make yeself an enemy o’ some local bounty hunters, too? Oh, wait, ye’ve already gone ‘n’ done that, haven’t ye?”

^{“Forty million says so.”}

^{“Sheesh… Oh, by the by,” Ewan added:
“How’d ye know ‘Ollie’ wasnae Piktish folk?”}

“Hm? Well, I didn’t,” Marlus noted, beginning to move on and follow the streets of the capital towards one of the gatehouses. Ewan followed him, nonchalant in his mannerisms but keeping an obviously close eye upon his surroundings. The lawman within both of them could not help but reveal their instincts from time to time, whether off-duty or a branded traitor. “He was just the only one who didn’t stand up and cheer when I bought a round for the tavern.”

“Ye clever git.” As the two continued on, they did so in silence. More precisely, Marlus remained silent while Ewan talked at him. His mind was still clouded with hints of doubt and uncertainty, questioning every step he had taken on this path of what many would label vigilante justice. A laborious jaunt it had been thus far, but the former Captain had persevered all the same, even if he was practically alone in his endeavour. Ewan, and old friend of his, was about his only saving grace. The officer of Pikt’s local police force had been his inside man, though even then Marlus could not help but think he was turning his compatriot into a traitor as well. Reassurance had held his spirits high, but the higher one soared, the bigger the inevitable fall.

Marlus shook his head fiercely.

^{“Ye alright, Marl…?”}

^{“Mm… I suppose,” the ominous archer mumbled:
“I’m just… Having second thoughts, I think.”}

^{“Now there’s a surprise…”}

“Hmm,” he sighed throatily, hawkish hues momentarily meeting Ewan’s own gaze. If there was one man whose face could be read like a book, it was Ewan’s, and it screamed of so much. It wasn’t a look of disappointment upon his freckled visage, but one of confidence and knowing. Somehow that made him feel more strongly about his decisions so far. “We should return to camp. I have a feeling this is all about to kick off a lot sooner than expected…”

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Caine, Marlus (8b008b)
Kincaid, Ewan (5c4620)
Pirate Ollie (aaaaaa)
Pirate Arnie (111111)}

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[Flame]

"Is that it?" Merle's voice was hauntingly quiet as she treaded water floating in the bay as she looked inward at the semi-large military base standing defined upon a rise overlooking a fairly open plain. It seemed likely, given the marine flag raised above it and its size. "Yeah that's Fort Connery. Big-Ass Marine Base of our very own Pikt Archipelago." Viktoria responded to her question in what Merle had quickly understood to be her usual fashion.

Golden eyes looked at what was building up to the scene of a battle. They weren't here yet but everyone knew they were coming. Her eyes peered into the tree-filled hills surrounding the marine base where the Revolutionary Army was likely hidden. Merle watched and wondered what she was hoping to see. "So whats the plan Merle. We gonna go see them Revolutionary Fools to help in their plot? Or are we just here to find this Mawl of yours?" The fishman glanced back at her merfolk companion with a frown. "Marl. And ... I don't know." She shrugged, she really wasn't certain of what she as doing here at the moment. The fishman had no love for the marines so finding the revolutionary army seemed a natural course.

That was also where she thought it likely that she might find Marlus. Where else would she find him, given the bounty on his head it was unlikely that he was with the marines. And this was hardly the situation she would expect him to avoid. Then pausing she glanced at Viktoria with a concerned look on her face.

"Can you actually walk on land? You're not of age yet are you?" Merle asked curiously of the mermaid. Back on fishman island she'd rarely seen mermaids not just swimming about she didn't actually know how well they dealt with moving about on land before their tails split.

Viktoria glanced at her, "My tail hasn't split if thats what you're asking. But I can get around just fine on land. You'll see."

[Vio]

3

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It took them a few hours – longer than they would have liked, even. As well-versed in the woods and wilds of Pikt as they were, neither Caine Marlus nor Kincaid Ewan cared for crossing paths with military scouting parties. Both sides were at it. The Revolution more subtle in their approach, but noticeable all the same. This was a war zone, or at the very least would soon become one.

Even so, the two men returned to their secluded outpost. A cave nestled under an outcrop overlooking a cobblestone river that fed into the Lochs of the archipelago. Brush and reeds formed a natural veil to conceal within, but the presence of a Piktish bear had obviously served to keep any wandering eyes from investigating what lay within. Boris, as said bear was named, opened a lazy eye as the two sirs approached quietly, stealthily. Otherwise, he paid them no mind until they were within the curtains of foliage.

^{“Thank ye, Boris,” Ewan said:
“Sorry fer takin’ so long!”}

The bear simply rolled on his back and huffed, accepting an apologetic belly rub from his master. A member of Pikt’s own Bear Cavalry police force, Boris had been Ewan’s trusted partner since he was just a cub, only just independent from his mother. It had since been established he was the runt of the litter – the least capable of the generation – and yet, at Ewan’s side, Boris’ will seemed unshakable. A big softy he might have been, but this bear was a fierce foe to face and a fine friend to have.

“So,” Marlus said, sitting himself down on a log within the cave. It was a cozy locale, with a ceiling high enough for the men to stand without worry of cracking their skulls and easily about thrice as deep. A neat campfire smouldered softly in the centre, with sleeping bags rolled up toward the back amongst various other belongings. “I haven’t got much of a plan, Ewan. If you want to back out and fight on your side, feel free. Though, I am curious.”

^“Hm?”

^{“Why did Ollie know,” the bowman pondered:
“That this hooded figure is a Revolutionary…?”}

^{“Eh? Nae a clue.”}

…? Caine’s eyes narrowed, observing something far beyond the greenery with trademark hawkishness. On instinct, he reached for his bow – an ebony curve adorned with blades – and slipped an arrow from his quiver. He did not nock it. Whatever movement he had seen had stilled or moved out of sight. Probably just a fish snatching food from the surface…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/sub]

Starring…

_{Caine, Marlus (8b008b)
Kincaid, Ewan (5c4620)
Pirate Ollie (aaaaaa)
Pirate Arnie (111111)}

[/ul][/spoiler][/font][/sup][/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Flame]

The pair of seafolk made their lay landward sooner than later. With Merle in the lead they came up near where the woods came down to meet the water's edge. Emerging from the water the pair rose onto the beach before quickly disappearing in the trees. "So we're going for the revolutionary fools?" Viktoria's voice sounded from behind her. "If anything I think Marlus is more likely to be there than with the marines." The fishwoman responded as she hiked her way through the forest with the merwoman in tow.

"There isn't a more likely chance that he's avoiding this situation in general?" The merwoman asked, it was a fair question. One that Merle had been puzzling over for some time at this point. There was a likelihood of that to her, however, he'd shown at Jreum and then again at Sedna that he often couldn't stay away from situations like this. Or so she thought of him, so she shook her head in response to the merwoman's question. She was certain that one way or another she would find him at the upcoming battle. Pushing their way through foliage the pair continued on.

"Don't worry, if I know that fool he'll be here to have some part in it." Merle gave a half-amused chuckle at that thought. "Sounds like a hellofa gu-" her words cut off as suddenly the cock of rifles silenced the merfolk and the fishman. Merle's own golden eyes stared directly into three barrels aimed directly at her.

From ahead of her a hooded figure popped out of the brush. The gray cloak that swathed him seemed classic revolutionary gear, "Now what might a fishwoman and a mermaid be doing in the middle of the Piktish wilderness?"He asked as he leveled a pistol at Merle's head. At his shoulder was a sheathed blade, Merle bit her lips looking upon this man. "Well ya did it Merle, ya found the Revolutionary Army." Came Viktoria's tart comment. Merle sighed, this was just going great.

"I think it's more like they found us." She said with a nervous laugh. "We're just here to look for a friend of mine. Wields a bow, I think he might have allied himself with the revolution." She could feel the man's interest turn to her. Something she had said seemed to have interested him. It seemed she was right Marlus was with the Revolution.