Erevan looks up at the sky, judging the direction of the sun. Traveling to the brighter side at this time of day heading in the direction of the docks he looks for a specific building. The slums of Yokind-Burg seem to be filled with poorly made buildings with little insulation. That only spells death this far North.

There are tens of lost souls milling about the street. One corner has a man gathering dozens of workers. He picks out thirty crows shouting something about needing extra hands at the docks. Promising a few copper coins each. It takes two copper coins to have a cold bath at the inn, ten to have a proper meal, twenty to sleep under a roof for a night. They’re working the Crows to death because a working crow only makes a fourth the going rate.

Erevan keeps walking. Passing more sights than he care to recall; beggars in the street, a starved body almost completely buried by snow, a Crow being whipped by a master.

There is nothing Erevan can do as one man in a city of monsters and victims. But as Erevan came to the door of the house from the vision he took in a deep breath. It was time to see which one his mother was.

He rapped his knuckle on the door. His gauntlets producing a loud and intimidating sound for any one minding their own business at home.

“Coming!” A woman shouts from inside.

The door opens and a woman opens the door. She has brunette hair, an aged face, bags under her eyes, yellowed teeth, a dress padded with fur for the cold, and she has the same hazel eyes as Erevan. She looks at his eyes underneath his helm, before her vision turns to the ballista strapped to his back.

“I want nothing to do with you.” She closes the door in Erevan’s face.

Erevan sighs, waiting for her footsteps to recede back into the house, before he kicks the thin wooden door open. His mother jumps in fright, whirling around to face Erevan. The hunter removes his helm, putting his black hair, and the black scar on his face in full display.

“Put that back on Erevan!” His mother yells.

“You know who I am?” Erevan says in disbelief.

“I know what you should be. Your father broke the old traditions. You can both go rot for all I care.” His mother says succinctly.

“I am no Crow. Dad died so I could be free.” Erevan puts his helm back on.

“Your father’s dead?” Her voice falters.

“I’m done here. Tell me where my sister is.” Erevan states coldly.

“How did he die? Was it quick? Did he die in battle like the Gods intend?” She continues.

“It was an ambush, it was slow, and it was agonizingly painful. And he fought until his last breath for me. I see now why he left you. You wouldn’t fight for your own. The Gods would be disgusted with you.” Erevan turns and leaves.

“Wait.” She calls out as Erevan stops in the doorway. He turns his head so his ear is facing her. “Your sister is at the Captain’s manor. By the docks, it's the big house with the courtyard and the low wall around it.”

“Thank you.” Erevan says as he closes the door behind him.

The hunter walks down to the docks, walking along it further east, as he starts to see nicer and nicer houses.Eventually he comes to the manor in question. Walking around the low stone wall he reaches the opening at the front. Two guards stand on either side of the gateway. Their faces are tattooed, their hair is black, and they wield short swords.

“The Captain is not accepting visitors.” One of the guards says.

“Do not speak to me without being spoken to, Crow.” Erevan raises a hand to smack them and the guard flinches. “I was invited.”

Erevan can see through the front window two men talking and drinking.They do not notice Erevan. Not yet.

“I’m sorry sir. Of course. Please enter.” The guard lowers his head.

“You’ll have to leave your weapons here.” The second guard says.

“Of course.” Erevan swings his ballista around, kicks the bipod out, and stands it up to the side of the entrance. He quickly ties his blunderbuss to the bolt loaded in the siege weapon. “If anything happens. Reload my ballista if you are more than just their crows.”

Erevan turns and walks up to the mansion. The two guards look between each other questioning the hunters intent. Opening the heavy double doors of the house. The walls are thick, plenty of insulation, and inside is fully furnished. There are baroque paintings, mounted animal heads, end tables, lanterns with magic light being cast across the room, and rugs across the ground.

The hunter grits his teeth, seeing the finery of the house while his family lives in squalor. Erevan walks down to the first door on the right, hearing conversation behind it, and throws the door open.

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Inside are seven men around the room dressed in furs and robes. There are two male crows serving ale. There are five female crows around the room, dressed down, freezing in the chilly room. One man pushes a woman off his lap and stands quickly. He pulls his belt around his waist as he marches towards Erevan.

“Who in the holy fuck are you? And what are you doing bursting into the captain’s home!” The man gestures to a large man at the end of the table.

Erevan’s eyes narrow. His sister is with him. The hunter raises his hand. He waits for the man approaching him to take one step forward before waving a finger. A ballista bolt slams through the man pinning him to the wall to Erevan’s left. His blunderbuss hands from the bolt.

Erevan grabs the firearm as two of the men rush at him from the side where they were standing in front of the window. The hunter quickly turns and fires at them. The buckshot sprays out, bursting through their skin, knocking out teeth, and puncturing eyes. The two are blast backward onto the ground writhing and screaming.

The Siege Mage looks up at the other four, reloads his blunderbuss, and smiles as he senses his ballista being reloaded.

“Get him!” The captain yells as he turns and runs for a back door to the room.

The other three react to the order. The first leaps onto the table and starts kicking plates and drinks at Erevan. The hunter raises an arm to block the porcelain plates as they shattered against him. The second man rushed forward, tackling Erevan against a back wall.

Erevan twists his arm, slamming the butt of the blunderbuss across the second man’s jaw. He stumbles backward as Erevan flicks a finger. Another ballista bolt sails through the open window traveling at an upward angle, slamming through the first man, pinning him to the ceiling. Erevan raises his firearm and fires at the second man. A slug blast through his left shoulder as his arm flies off.

The third man is hiding behind a female crow, using her as a shield, when another crow slams a plate into the back of his head. Knocking him unconscious. Erevan moves through the room.

“Kill them all. No witnesses.” Erevan says. He sprints through the room after the guard captain.

Bursting through a door he enters the kitchen. A single crow inside points at a cupboard. Erevan opens it, finding a secret staircase. He goes up the stairs as it twists back around, emerging into an incredibly well decorated and fancy room. A giant bed with a veil over it takes up most of the room. There are flowers everywhere. And there is a bear rug on the ground with a coffee table on it. The room has one window on the opposite side of the room and it's on Erevan’s left hand side.

“Agh!” The guard captain strikes from behind.

He swings a battle axe at Erevan, but the hunter quickly side steps. The blade glances off his pauldrons. The man goes into swing again but Erevan swings his blunderbuss, parrying the blow. The hunter puts the weapon back to his shoulder and pulls the trigger.

The guard captain's free hand pushes the barrel up and the shot blasts a hole in the ceiling. Sunlight filters in glinting off the axe blade as the man uses the flat head of it to slam into Erevan’s gut pushing him backward.

The hunter falls back onto the bed. He almost sinks into it. The bed is so soft. The captain swings his axe over head at Erevan. The hunter quickly kicks him in the groin and rolls backward off the bed.

Now with a large piece of furniture between them, Erevan raises his blunderbuss, and fires. The alchemical cartridge fizzles and smokes.

“A misfire, now.” Erevan slams the cartridge out of the stock of the gun.

“Aww, your toy broke?” The guard captain tosses the axe at Erevan.

It slams into his left shoulder as the hunter sinks back. Pressing his back up against the wall Erevan reloads his blunderbuss. The guard captain, seeing this, leaps over the bed attempting to close the gap. Erevan raises his blunderbuss, the guard captain kicks it away and the weapon skitters across the ground.

The captain grabs Erevan, twisting him to the side, and slamming him against the window. Erevan’s eyes go wide realizing the ballista is aimed right at his back. There’s no clear shot as the guard captain rips the axe out of Erevan’s shoulder.

“This is it huh?” Erevan says.

“The gods smile on me today.” The guard captain raises the axe over his head.

There’s a loud meaty thwack as a female crow wacks the back of the captains head with the base of the blunderbuss. The man winces, letting go of Erevan. The hunter drops down to where he is sitting on the ground. He reaches towards the Crow and pulls her leg out from under her.

As she hits the ground Erevan flicks a finger. A ballista bolt crashes through the window, piercing through the guard captain, and sending him clear across the room.

Erevan slowly raises himself, holding his wounded shoulder. The sound of simple laughter hits his ears. An honest sound. He looks down at the smile on the Crow’s lips. This one, this girl, is his sister.

The hunter will hear the sound of bells nearby. Guards are coming. Erevan stoops down and grabs his sister. Pulling her over his good shoulder.

“Hey wait a second.” She slams an elbow down on his helm leaving it rattling.

“I’m your brother. I came here for you.” Erevan states as he grabs his blunderbuss.

“My brother?” Her voice starts to sound far away.

“Hold on.” Erevan says as he breaks the glass around the window with his gun.

“What are you…” She doesn’t finish her sentence before Erevan leaps out of the window. He crashes down in the snow of the courtyard.

He stands, setting his sister down, as he walks over to his ballista. The two guards look at him cautiously, holding their hands up, dropping their swords.

“I don’t kill Crows.” Erevan mutters as he grabs his ballista and swings it over his shoulder.

Erevan walks out of the courtyard onto the street and begins walking away from the home. His sister follows him, she matches his pace, and stays close by his side. She’s shivering in the cold.

“Let’s get home. Warm you up.” Erevan says.

“So Dad left because of you?” She asks.

“He never mentioned I had a sister. I don’t know if he knew.” Erevan says.

“I was born a few months after he left.” She explains. “I’m Anna.” She says through chattering teeth.

“Erevan Burkwood.” Erevan says. “Don’t let them take your family name from you.”

“But I’m a Crow. we don’t get that.” Anna mutters.

“Your my family now. I won’t address you any differently.” Erevan stops and takes her hand. “You are Anna Burkwood. I will be fighting for your right to be free.”