Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-5824038-20150203191459/@comment-5583506-20150220031633

(Because if Wraith was, I would have made it clear already. Good guessing though, but no... XD)

"Still no sign of him?" asked Victorius the captain as they searched the still-burning wreckages of the three sisters.

The captain shook his head. "No. We looked in what was left of the lower deck of The Bastard's Edge, but to no avail. The engines exploded as it was planned."

"Dammit", sighed Victorius. "Do you... do you think that he might be...?"

The captain took off his cap and raised his shoulders. "Who knows? We know him as a figure not keen on dying. He is a wraith after all. But you saw for yourself how many bullets that crazed warlord put in him. If he somehow survived that, he must surely be gifted with immortality."

"What... what will happen now? It feels as if the cause is dead now without him. That dream of a society with no titles seems... well... nothing more like just a dream. A dream that will never be realised."

"Don't be so darn gloomy", cursed the captain and kicked away some debris. "It wasn't his wish that the cause would die just because he..."

"Look!" exclaimed Victorius all of a sudden.

"Huh? What's that?"

"Down there! By the foot of the mountain! Do you see it?!"

The captain scratched his forehead. "Is that... a pirate ship?"

"He must have managed to loosen it from the deck of The Bastard's Edge then? How could we have missed that?! Let's get down there and..."

"Halt, lad!" said the captain and brought up a speculum, watching the area from afar. "This is not good."

"What's not good?"

The captain turned to the Imperial and lowered his speculum. "Do you to whom those grounds the ship is stranded on belongs to?"

Victorius shook his head. "A bloody royalty?"

"Worse. That manor you see over there belongs to lady Valkyrie Ghost-Wolf, the infamous private investigator and the last descendant of the esteemed Ghost-Wolf line of nobles."

"Her?!" exclaimed Victorius.

"You know her?"

Victorius shook his once more. "Not really. I just met her briefly. She was in Shademist and tried to kill Wraith. Yet he stopped her and..." Victorius didn't know how to explain it. "Convinced her... to return here?"

The captain glared at the mansion. "She is a cold and calculating woman, that one. Not a single amount of warmth in her body. They say she is obsessed with her job. If she doesn't get to set her amazing mind at work she grows restless and manic. Just goes to show what sort of people these nobles really are. They oughta be locked up somewhere."

"Yeah, she didn't strike me as the most heartwarming woman I have met."

The captain gave the Imperial a smug smile. "No, I bet that blonde haired little Bretons are."

Victorius flinched. "Has Wraith told you anything about... ?!"

"Please", shrugged the captain and adjusted his cap. "I was there in the LaDucard mansion before we set off. The look on your face when Wraith mentioned that Claire would arrive this day was that of a longing puppy."

"Shut... shut up!" growled Victorius. "I just... found her to be pretty, that's all..."

"Sure, you were. Completely smitten, I would say." He gave his men a couple of gestures. "Alright, men! Surround the mansion! Chances are Wraith is still alive in there and presumably apprehended by that Ghost-Wolf bitch! Let's surround her and bring him out!"

Victorius nodded and together the men started to march their way down the mountain slopes while a few remained to watch over their ships by the wreckages.

"Just... just who are we dealing with here, captain?" asked Victorius a bit nervously. "I just killed my first man today, so it would be good for me to find out what I can expect from this... Valkyrie?"

"Cold-hearted", said the captain. "Arrogant. She doesn't fear death because she doesn't even have a life for a starters! She is merely alive by pure routine. She wakes up, spends some time in some comfy chair by pondering about things that would make your brain melt, gets to work, arrests or kills a few people along the way and then returns home in time for tea... And on it goes..."

"Sounds awful", said Victorius. "No joy, whatsoever then?"

The captain shrugged. "I guess that her way of living is joy for her. I bet it turns her on to demonstrate her disturbingly amazing intellect."

"Sounds like you admire her?"

"How can I not?" replied the captain sharply. "But that doesn't mean that I will hesitate to attack her if given the choice. She is dedicated, cares neither for common nor noble, and boasts one of the finest, if not the finest, mind in the entire Empire. What's not to admire? A woman who only does whatever she can do best because she likes it? Sounds like my type... Shame I will have to end her if given a reason..."

"But if she is so smart how come she hasn't anticipated our attack?"

"Oh, I bet she has. But she is in no hurry. Our fair lady is a worthy opponent after all and cares little for dirty tactics. She will simply wait there inside her mansion in order to test our worth."

"Our... worth?"

The captain's smile widened. "First we have go get past... him." When Victorius cocked his head with an asking expression the captain continued: "Gastas, last name unknown, butler to the Ghost-Wolf family and gatekeeper of the estates. Has been for generations. Loyal to the very end. We know next to nothing about him and his past. What we do know is that he is a deadly force not to be reckoned with. Lady Valkyrie may be as skillfull with a gun as she is with her brain, but she fades in comparison to her servant and her hidden pawn. Tread lightly once we get closer to the mansion grounds, lower your gun and do not put on a show. Make him believe you are of a much lesser threat. You will live longer."

The Imperial swallowed. "Have you... encountered him before?"

The captain shook his head. "Have only heard rumours, stories and some fateful news from time to time. Several times the Ghost-Wolf estate has been under attack from various organisations, all seeking an 'audience' with the lady inside. And all have they been stopped before they reached the front door... by one man... Valkyrie is the hand, and he is the sword. The hand controls the sword. If we are lucky lady Valkyrie won't perceive us as a big enough threat and release Wraith to a ransom."

"Ransom?!" hissed Victorius. "I thought you said that she was honourable."

"She is, but I meant her kind of ransom. I bet it would be something in the like of some really challenging puzzle or some equally dumb shit."

The mansion stood quiet and silent on the hill as it had been for many centuries. Awaiting yet again unwelcome guests...

''Hope I get to survive this so that I will see Claire again... ''reflected Victorius and swallowed when he saw some shadow move in one of the mansion's tall windows on the second floor...