765 Hippocampus Rush

*Captain Connor*

The captain couldn’t make out the shadow in the corner of his eye, just that it barreled towards him. There was only one thing he could do. He braced himself for the inevitable impact. Whoever it was, it was clumsier than he had expected, crashing full body on him. This mass wasn’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. A very 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’s the first glaring feature, and thin that the leather chest binding didn’t help hide. Her dark skin screamed 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 strapped to her backside looked to be her only weapon until he could see the handle of a dagger tucked in her leg wrap. The female ogled at him, raising her trimmed brow at him as if it was 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 glared 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 started to fall into his normal reactions and turned his back towards the possibly 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 stopped 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 started to fill with hollers of very 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 ended up watching her the whole way, even when she vanished behind a corner: deep in thought.

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

One of the ruffians was a boy just around his fifteenth year. He looked 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 focused on the lad, who looked 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 wasn’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 winced when Connor opened his mouth and pointed the opposite direction. “She went that way.”

The two buffoons didn’t even thank Connor, just charged towards the direction he had given and hollered for the Krax to come out to face them. Except for the lad, the corner of his lip twitched, 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 keeping tabs on 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 wasn’t odd that he followed the lad, it wasn’t even that hard to find the place they headed. Although the mystery female was better at keeping her trail clean, the lad bumped into every barrel and left foot prints on the dirty ground.

He found himself in the part of the town that was even poorer than the downtown. The houses lacked roofs 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 facing each other in the middle of the beaten street. The lad was young, but he still towered 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 betrayed 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 frowned, long eyelashes fanning when she blinked. Her round cheeks filled with the air she sucked in between her teeth; rage colored her beautiful face like a painting. Slender neck and body, though her hips and banded chest did retain the fullness of a shape similar to the hourglass he uses to time his alchemy projects. Her complexion was dark, but it didn’t hide the rising 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!”

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“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 suggested, instead she was a lot more forgiving of the boy’s outcry than first expected.

“Who cares what happens to me...” Rhea hissed, 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 don’t 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 to stop it.

He needed something from both anyway. The captain of the Nightmare Maiden waltzed over to the two, the female clamped her mouth shut when she noticed him. Her silver eyes were as large as dinner plates. The lad kept spouting more insults, when she wasn’t paying any mind, he turned his head to see Connor right behind him. His lips scrunched 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 both of you.”

Rhea wasn’t having any of Connor’s attempts to be formal, her brows slanting down till they folded the skin between them. Her jaw clenched as she was ready to say more than what was slipped 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 snapped 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 moved to show intent of protecting Ranko. And she really didn’t like Connor, it was obvious from her posture. Her fingers played with the string of her weathered bow, probably debating who would be fastest to draw.

This is where Connor is very 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 wasn’t his intention here. He needed their cooperation.

“Let’s just say...I need some information from your boss...” Connor’s copper eyes ripped away from the stare off, now on the lad that sweated beneath his attention.

“M-Me...?”

“Who else?”

“Back off stranger.” Snarled 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 the heated conversation.

Although Connor wasn’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 probably does look like he’s trying to coerce Rhea and Ranko into something shady.

He had to change that, he bowed his head to the Vicar and greeted the holy man as such. “I am sorry. They call me Captain Connor ...Vicar...?”

The Vicar forced this grin, meant to be polite only because that’s 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 noticed him looking their way, snorting, and chimed 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 nodded 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 dawned on him. If they admitted him being suspicious, they suspected 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 wanted to pay attention to the fifteen-year-old. “Ranko...come back ho-”

“I can’t...” Ranko shot the invitation down, exiting their presence in a flash. He turned a corner, and it was obvious that he had no intentions of coming back.

Rhea looked ready to chase him down, but since the Vicar was out there, she had to play off as nothing is wrong. Her smile is forced 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 craved to correct her, wanted 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 wanted to admit, so started 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 ended up looking about to decline the offer. The Vicar watched 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 waited 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 wasn’t trying hard to hide his profession, he looked like a sailor every which way. But he is relatively impressed by the Vicar for guessing so accurately.

“What is...a pirate?”

You’re more dense 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 picky with allies.

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

The way the Vicar painted a pirate wasn’t really exaggerated, though Connor feels more offended by his tone and how simplified it sounds. Connor is very 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 suggested that she was planning something and trying to be secretive about it. Connor wanted more than anything to follow this female. Now that was 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 possibly 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 returned to the ship. However, he had a large bounty of information....