765 Hippocampus Rush

The captain couldn't make out the shadow in the corner of his eye, just that it barrels towards him. There is only one thing he could do. He braces himself for the inevitable impact. Whoever it is, it is clumsier than he had expects, crashing full body on him. This mass isn’t something to cry home about; he was able to withstand it and kept his balance.

This person used his stone wall balance, grabbing his arm—what is it with people in this town?—pulling forward. An exceedingly small person was ahead of him now, stumbling and waving their thin arms till they found level footing. This is where he got a good look at her.

Short, that is the first glaring feature, and thin that the leather chest binding didn't help hide much. Her dark skin screams her nationality, Kraxxian, but her auburn-tinted curls and silver eyes were very strange to him. Not features a normal Krax would have. Her bow and arrow straps to her backside looks to be her only weapon until he could see the handle of a dagger tucked in her leg wrap. The female ogles at him, raising her trimmed brow at him as if it were his fault in getting in her way. Silver eyes, fierce and wild, gave him a strange sense of déjà vu.

Wait a damn minute. Connor glares right back, getting himself pulled into this stranger's pettiness. He didn't understand why he even bothered. Any other time he'd just ignore the female. Actually, he starts to fall into his normal reactions and turn his back towards the insane woman, preferring to take the path where he first walked through. The further from her, the better.

His reaction did earn a sudden apology from the female. "I am sorry."

For some reason, hearing her voice formulate those three words halts his steps. It wasn't what he expected to hear here in this crime-infested town. It's more likely for people to curse each other till they are blue in the face. It didn't matter, the path she came from starts to fill with hollers of incredibly angry people. She didn't wait to make sure he heard, charging up this little street. Her straw-matted curls, as long as to the small of her back, whipping behind her like a flag. He ends up watching her the whole way, even when she vanishes behind a corner: deep in thought.

Strange...you have me thinking of her... Connor's time of thinking is cut short when three ruffians with a notable corkscrew sigil tattooed on their faces question Connor.

One of the ruffians was a boy just around his fifteenth year. He looks every bit conflicted and kept his distance from the others.

"Sailor! Have ya seen a Krax scurry by here? Short and busty?" The bald-headed buffoon was the first to ask, and the first to annoy Connor.

There are way more features you could have pointed out...your choice was breasts...

Connor focuses on the lad, who looks even more distressed by the description. As if he had some personal background with the female. Connor didn't see how he could benefit by telling the truth. A woman who could apologize even in this environment doesn't pose to him as the type to be diabolical. Maybe a little dense. These people are obviously part of the Death Twisters Gang and if she was messing with them, then she isn’t being smart about it.

He won't get an in if he does help them, plus he is curious about the boy who nearly winces when Connor opens his mouth and points to the opposite direction. "She went that way."

The two buffoons didn't even thank Connor, just charges towards the direction he had given and hollering for the Krax to come out to face them. Except for the lad, the corner of his lip twitches, fighting down a nervous smile.

"Thank ya...really."

Connor didn't know why the lad was even thanking him. The lad did not explain, letting his comrades vanish with none of them tracking the lad. This is when the young man took the real path after the mystery woman, charging up it and following exactly the correct turn. Whoever this child is, he becomes the ticket that Connor needs.

It isn’t odd that he follows the lad, it isn’t even that hard to find the place they headed. Although the mystery female was better at keeping her trail clean, the lad bumps into every barrel and left footprints on the dirty ground.

He founds himself in the part of the town that was even poorer than the downtown. The houses lacked shingles and extra sets of windows; they were more cubic in shape compared to their counterparts. The poverty is much clearer around here, counting already three homeless people with a drug problem resting underneath a shabby bench or next to trash. He slid to a stop when he saw the two people facing each other in the middle of the beaten street. The lad is young, but he still towers over the female. Whatever nervous twitch he had before was long gone, regarding the Krax with all the contempt that he bottled up.

The Krax woman didn't waver from his approach, raising her head to meet the boy's glare. An argument erupts, starting with the tattooed boy.

"Listen Rhea!? You might've had sum delusion that ya can get in my business ever since ya squatted in Grace Risa's home! But ya don't know a single damn thing about me! So sod off ya crazy lady!"

Rhea? Connor stood around the corner, eavesdropping on the argument. He betrays himself a moment to study the Krax female now named Rhea.

Blessed with features any man and woman can crave for, he even had to admit that she was beautiful as an observational fact. Plump bottom lip stuck out when she frowns, long eyelashes fanning when she blinked. Her round cheeks filled with the air she sucks in between her teeth; rage colors her beautiful face like a painting. Slender neck and body, though her hips and banded chest did retain the fullness of a shape like the hourglass he uses to time his alchemy projects. Her complexion is dark, but it didn't hide the rising deep redness of her outrage.

"I can be crazy, but you are a very stupid boy!? You need to go back home to your REAL family!"

"My REAL family is the gang!"

"That was not family!!! You saw how they threatened to kill you if you did not help catch me!"

"I wouldn't be in that situation if ya didn't show yar damn mug! My leader would've kept the both of us, and the Gods wouldn't be able to stop whatever he planned to do with ya." The boy advanced to her, poking her shoulder hard. She didn't slap his hand away like those fierce eyes suggests, instead she was a lot more forgiving of the boy's outcry.

"Who cares what happens to me..." Rhea hisses, balling her fists next to her hips. "You could still run. Let them chase me around. I was born to run my whole life. You do not have to run anymore. Stay with the Vicar."

"With what money, with what assurance R-H-E-A! He would've just gone after the orphanage. Grace Risa couldn't even get on a keldio to run away fast enough. Ya expect-"

This conversation was getting nowhere, with both members of the argument running verbal circles with the other. Connor had to go out there to stop it.

He needs something from both anyway. The Captain of the Nightmare Maiden waltzes over to the two, the female clamps her mouth shut when she notices him. Her silver eyes are as large as dinner plates. The lad kept spouting more insults, when she isn’t paying any mind, he turns his head to see Connor right behind him. His lips scrunch up into a dot on his face, the true terror paling his freshly tattooed face.

"Y-ya followed us!?"

"Certainly. I actually want to suggest something to you both."

Rhea isn’t having any of Connor's attempts to be formal, her brows slanting down till they folded the skin between them. Her jaw clenches as she was ready to say more than what slips between her grinding teeth. "Ranko. I do not like men that get involved in matters that are not theirs..."

"Shut up hypocrite. Yar no different than he is!?" The boy snaps at the woman, who didn't lessen the fierceness of her eyes.

Connor can tell that this woman has only experienced great betrayal, explaining away her irrational distrust. She didn't pry away her gaze, even moves to show intent of protecting Ranko. And she really didn't like Connor, it was obvious from her posture. Her fingers play with the string of her weathered bow, debating who would be fastest to draw.

This is where Connor is enormously proud to confirm that he will be the one to draw the fastest. This woman would need a few more seconds to load while he had a fully loaded pistol. Contemplating such thoughts isn’t his intention here. He needs their cooperation.

"Let's just say...I need some information from your boss..." Connor's copper eyes rips away from the stare off, now on the lad that sweats beneath his attention.

"M-Me...?"

"Who else?"

"Back off stranger." Snarls the female, having her final fill of his presence.

"ENOUGH!" Another voice interjects the conversation. Connor would have been more annoyed if he hadn't recognized the implications of the robes this man wore. This man is a Vicar, a holy minister of the Three Gods Church. And the children hid behind his coat sleeves, shivering from what Connor could assume was fear of their heated conversation.

Although Connor isn’t particularly fond of people in the church, he had a more forgiving heart towards the children. These kids are orphaned based on the banged-up clothes, a total of ten of them hid behind the button-eyed Vicar varying in physical features. They all stare at Connor like he's the big villain of the story.

Based on his lack of acquaintances with any of them, it does look like he is trying to coerce Rhea and Ranko into something shady.

He had to change that; he bows his head to the Vicar and greets the holy man as such. "I am sorry. They call me Captain Connor ...Vicar...?"

The Vicar forces this grin, meant to be polite only because that is how they must act. Despite how much it must hurt him, he had to give Connor the benefit of the doubt. "Vicar Jal. Child...may I ask why you argue with my children?"

Connor gave a quick glance at Ranko, then Rhea. Ranko hid his distraught and conflicted face; Rhea was as unwavering as ever. She notices him looking their way, snorting, and chimes in, forcing this air of tranquility. By the next words that came out of her pretty mouth, she was terrible at lying. "Vicar Jal...it is nothing to concern yourself with. We met...M-mister Connor at the market...He is new to the town, so we were arguing about...um....what is the best dish to eat here. Right Ranko?"

Ranko nods with a sigh, disagreeable to her excuse, but there was nothing else they could do about it. Why are these two being strangely helpful?

Then it dawns on him. If they admits him being suspicious, they suspect that he would just tell the Vicar exactly what happened in the streets. A Vicar like him didn't look like he knew much about Rhea's latest excursions or was even able to understand the argument they were having.

It will only take one to sink this whole façade.

"I see... Thank you for finding Ranko...and having such a normal conversation." The Vicar sounded awkward, not entirely accepting Rhea's explanation. Nor was he the type to confront her about it, instead he wants to pay attention to the fifteen-year-old. "Ranko...come back ho-"

"I can't..." Ranko shot the invitation down, exiting from their presence in a flash. He turns a corner, and it was obvious that he had no intentions of coming back.

Rhea looks ready to chase him down, but since the Vicar is out there, she had to play off as nothing is wrong. Her forced smile appears when she directs her attention at Connor. "Right...well, Mister Connor. Maybe it is time for you to go. We will...revisit our conversation tomorrow."

What? Connor would shoot her a stern gaze. No one can direct him to do anything. He's the Captain of the Nightmare Maiden. He craves to correct her; he wants her to realize what a captain is.

Yet, he was intrigued by this woman's complete disregard towards such things. She truly didn't care, and, by the sounds of the argument, she was just as equally nonchalant towards the gang boss.

Certainly, a woman of menacing mental decapitation of status ego. He was more interested in her than he wants to admit, so starts a shaky partnership.

"Of course...Rhea. See you tomorrow at mid-morn. Here." Connor said this, adding a hint of promise that she couldn't ignore.

She ends up looking about to decline the offer. The Vicar watches her so closely, so all she could muster was a "Chathalic-wrenris...Mister Connor"

There was no way she could slip away from him now unless she threw all her efforts in the compost.

He is very assured that he will be triumphant at the end. Just to be safe and certain, he waits around the corner to listen to the conversation between the Vicar and Rhea.

"I am very concerned, Rhea. You know he's a pirate?"

Connor isn’t trying hard to hide his profession, he looked like a sailor in many directions. But he is impressed by the Vicar for guessing so accurately.

"What is...a pirate?"

You are denser than I expected. Connor was starting to regret having her get involved in his plans. One thing he has learned is that he can't be too meticulous with allies.

"A criminal of the sea. They do nothing but steal, lie and plunder other ships."

The way the Vicar painted a pirate isn’t really exaggerated, though Connor feels more offended by his tone and how simplified it sounds. Connor is immensely proud of his pirate profession and his crewmates. No one deserves to insult any of them. There was more to being a pirate than just stealing.

"Huh...sounds like a gang...but he does not seem as cruel...."

This is a surprise...

"No...I suppose not. Rhea, you do well to keep your distance anyway."

"I will try... Vicar. I have to go now..."

"Where are you going at this hour?"

"I... need to hunt." The shakiness of her tone suggests that she was planning something and trying to be secretive about it. Connor wants more than anything to follow this female. Now that is a possibility.

"Oh...okay. Don't be too late, my child."

Again, Vicar is a very non-confrontational man. Very unlike Connor, who devours confrontation like a midnight snack.

If Vicar had any ounce of that, Rhea wouldn't get away with so much. At least, Connor had said something sooner to stop the insubordination.

Just as promised, she left but made very sure that no one could follow her. Connor forgot that she could climb these walls like a quick sneeze and leave no signs.

Kraxxian are tree climbers after all. Now he had nothing in his possession when he returns to the ship. However, he had a large bounty of information....