What did Mariner think? Did it seem justifiable in his eyes? Or was he considering… something more punishing as retribution for the injury the marine received? Or was he considering retribution at all? Was this something Mariner was willing to entirely overlook, just to further the mission?
…Impossible. He laid his hand atop his extended wing as his eyes maintained their injured expression, constantly checking every slight movement of the glowing blue dots that looked out from Mariner’s dark helm for any sign of change. Mariner was an exceptionally hard read at all times, and now most of all. That would not fit with the Mariner I know.
As Mariner’s words finally registered in his mind, Dolphus’s expression briefly fell into a completely baffled one at the notion that somehow hacking your arm off and adhering a wing to the bloodied stump was a sign of nobility.
Maybe I’ve connected Mariner with modern society a little too much…
“…No.” Dolphus did his best to recover his previous expression, slowly retracting the wing back under his cape. “This… wasn’t my choice.”
“The Cadre? This must be a matter of importance, then,” Karl mused. “Very well, let us discuss this opportunity. As for my prior words, that was inexcusable in a professional like myself.”
He sheathed his knife, his muscles relaxing as he stared at the cloaked figure. This newcomer made him uneasy. Should I have him taken into custody after this conversation finishes? But that might lead to difficulties, he thought. After all, the Cadre of Silence won’t take that kindly at all.
Mariner was silent for a long time. Eventually he seemed to find his voice again, and drew back his stern bearing. “Be that as it may, this level of conduct is unacceptable. I don’t care if someone has learned your darkest secret, you will conduct yourself according to your letter of marque.”
He seemed to soften a bit before speaking again. “You may not be members of Her late Majesty’s navy, but you are operating entirely under her authority. Such that it is.”
“Indeed.” The voice already seemed like it regretted this rendezvous. “Well I shall be blunt then, I represent the Embergard Cadre. We have been watching you for some time. I am head of an Assassin sect. We would like to offer you a position in our cadre. Some of my superiors think you have talent.”
The figure tilted his head and looked at Karl “of course, you do have your other offer. Career paths for an individual like you are rather limited, so just… Think on it.”
Dolphus’s eyes had varied in their focus, sometimes looking at Mariner, other times staring off into random parts of the ship, doing their best to avoid staring into the floor. Mariner’s hesitancy to speak was almost worse than what came next, but not quite.
Dolphus crumpled further under Mariner’s sharp tone returning, but did not show any sign of reversing his course once the Halinth’s voice began to soften. It was hard for Dolphus, so used to the mannerisms of his father and those he associated with, to see the change in tone as anything other than an implication of some far more dangerous response lying just underneath the facade of a calm demeanor.
Words would have to be chosen very carefully. His eyes, now full of fear, tried desperately to tear themselves away, to stare into the wall, the floor, anything else, but he wouldn’t allow them to. Like he had told himself before, there would be time to cry his eyes out in regret of the choices that he made at a later time.
As Ari ascended onto the main deck and made her way towards the front of the ship, the fresh salty morning air surrounded her. It felt extremely refreshing to end up outside after spending the better part of the morning confined in small, cluttered chambers of the ship. A nice change of pace after several unpleasant conversations that she didn’t want to be a part of.
She walked up to the side of the ship and spent several minutes overlooking the vastness of the ocean, only obstructed by the two last islands of the archipelago, what the kid claimed to be the Sea Gate, the place that separated the waters of the Armada from the outside world. The view of the seemingly limitless body of water surrounding the comparatively tiny islands that stretched far beyond the horizon captivated Ari and made her forget about all the worries she might have had just moments prior. This was what freedom looked like…
It was quite ironic that Ari, a shipwright, someone whose job and only talent in life was tied so closely to sea travel, had never ventured into the wider world by sea herself. Of course, she had made a few commutes between the islands closer to the centre of the archipelago, around the area where the capital was situated, but those paled in comparison to what she was experiencing right now. It was her first experience with the world outside of the archipelago and she couldn’t contain a child-like wonder as she looked on into the distance.
This view lifted Ari’s spirits significantly and she seemingly moved past all the unpleasant experiences she’d had earlier in the morning by the time she approached the front of the ship. Th view was nice, but she came up here for a workout, not to look at pretty scenery.
Once there, she made sure that nothing would be interfering with what she was about to do and began stretching, having put down her metal bat next to her. Once that was done, she picked up the bat and started doing reps of swinging it in front of her, repeating the same motion over and over again dozens of times while counting. She would keep going of a while, doing similar exercises, occasionally using her weapon as a weight, until she deemed that the workout was sufficient enough (which meant that she physically couldn’t keep going anymore) or was interrupted by someone or something…
“Hmm. I will take your advice, and consider the offer,” Karl said, sheathing his knife. “I am of course under contract currently, but that should expire soon. I hope your superiors won’t mind having to wait a while.” He looked around at the figure, a slight hint of curiosity playing across his expression.
“If you don’t mind me asking, did you teleport to this ship? Its the only way I can see you getting on board without the crew noticing.”