Six Souls, One Raven

The night was still like the one before it. The dark clouds hovered up in the air, threatening to let a storm rage through the town. It was as if they were just like Xol. Xol was a seventeen year old boy who was the leader of what they call The Chains. The Chains was pretty much a ghost town before he came in and had it go up in business again. Xol wasn't the person who would give a wounded man that went against him a glance. Hell, he wouldn't even let the man leave The Chains without someone following him to make sure he wasn't going to be returning again.

Dawn shook her head, sitting among the crowd of people as she sharpened her knifes. She kept them everywhere. She kept them at her hips, up her sleeves, in her boots, strapped to her thighs, and she will most of the time have one in her hand when she felt like something was going to happen or she felt uncomfortable around a place. Why was she among the crowd at this time of night? That was because Xol called her and the rest of the group here. Why? She didn't know. He always had his reasons.

She got up from her place and disappeared in an alley where she climbed up the wall and onto the roof. She whispered the name of her knives as she walked along the rooftops. This is what she always did when danger was going to be awaiting on the other side of the corner. It was a habit and it made her feel a bit at ease, knowing that she won't let Xol down for any reason.

She spotted Xol and the others down on the ground. They were laughing and playing around like they usually were. They were standing under an wooden arch. Three words were carved into it. Lugn. Näring. Välstånd. Peace. Industry. Prosperity. Designs went from the base up, swirling around the columns that held the arch up. She stayed away from the lamps while she trailed after them.

Why did they have to be so loud? Couldn't they just be quiet and do their job like they should be? No, they can't do that. They think goofing around is fun to do before they are going to be heading into danger. Typical boys. They could and would be quiet if their life depended on it. They were idiots though. You could never tell them what to do or some of them will throw a fit. Xol was with his two right-hand men. Nico and Rig were on either side of Xol. Why Rig? He wasn't very good at anything. Well, if Xol picked Rig, there must be a reason.

"I heard that the Skräck have anchored in the harbor with three ships." Nico said with a small laugh, clapping Rig on the shoulder. He was more of the gambling type than the rest of the group was.

"I have. We will be lucky enough to get in a kill or two if they go against us, hmm?" Rig seemed to be asking. No one answered. It was as if they were awaiting a command from Xol.

Xol looked along the rooftops as he limped on his cane. He spotted Dawn among the rooftops and nodded his head. Well, looks like this was going to be a fun night. What did he have planned tonight? He seemed to be confident like he usually is. She huffed at how highly he thinks that none of them will be killed at the end of the day. Sure, he was usually correct but tonight felt a bit... different.

The Lära and the Skräck were enemies. They were once both the same people back in the olden days. As the time period continued on, some of the people didn't agree with one another about certain things the government can and can't do. After a decade of fighting one another, they finally decided to split into two different clans. The Lära and the Skräck. The history of both of them are quite interesting. To this day, they still don't get along. They don't fight one another but they do try to get what the other wants so they can brag in their faces.

Xol stopped when they got closer to the harbor. He gestured for Nico and Rig to disarm themselves of their weapons. Both of them frowned as they started to hand their weapons over to the rest of the group that will be leaving the three, well four, to do their work.

"Take care of my babies. If they come back to me scratched up, my fist is going to be the last thing you see." Nico said as he handed over his guns. Rig did the same thing with his knives and other weapons he had on him. 

Dawn dropped down from the rooftops and went over to them. She patted them both done, ignoring how Rig was looking at her. It was as if he was pleading her to help him on whatever will happen next. It was odd as he has never had that look in his eyes before.

"Do what you usually do, Dawn. You know that our lives depend on you, right?" Xol muttered as he looked over at her briefly.

She rolled her eyes as she nodded her head. "Of course I do. I am not that stupid. Have I ever failed you once? No. No I have not. Now, quit your yapping and let's do this before I leave you for the dead." She snapped.

Xol seemed to have a smile appear on his lips. She wasn't too sure if it was real because it was gone the next time she blinked. She sighed. She will just say he did because him smiling nowadays were so rare. His bad past doesn't help who he is now. He isn't the best with happy emotions. You mostly saw his expressionless, cold face.

He turned to face her and averted his eyes from her to the rooftops and back to her. "Remember, key words are what you are looking for when you are watching over us." He said as he started to limp off with Nico and Rig following after him.

Dawn sighed. He is so demanding at times. She sometimes wants to give him a piece of her mind. It would feel good to do it but then again, she will just get a piece of his mind with equal force. Maybe even more if he wanted to. She doubt he would as he is a bit softer on her than the rest of the gang.

She jumped gracefully back on the rooftops and followed in the shadows on the rooftops. They were on neutral ground. That is why the boys had to hand over their weapons. If they harm a person on neutral ground, they broke the rules and get kicked out. Easy as that. Xol isn't going to tolerate people who do such things as that. 

She walked along the rooftops, listening to the small chat that was going on between Xol and the leader of the Oväder clan, Loeffler. She watched as Nico and Rig patted Loeffler's right hand men down before nodding their heads, saying they had no weapons on them. Reason they didn't speak is because they can't. Only the leaders are able to talk to one another. Nothing bad will happen if one of them did speak on accident.

"Well, Loeffler, it seems as you have brought in more boats then you were suppose to." Xol said as he leaned on his cane.

Loeffler looked Xol up and down, whispering something into a black haired man's ear before smirking slightly. "Are you the big Xol Cardiff that owns the village? The one that the people call Dirtyhands?"

Xol scoffed as he nodded his head. "I am indeed. Have a problem with that?" He asked with a slight raise of his brow.

Loeffler nodded his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back slightly. "I do. I don't think a young kid like you should be running such a place as this when you are seventeen. You won't be able to survive out of this city if you left. You might be dead as soon as you set one foot out of the city borders." His men behind him started to snicker as they looked at Xol.

"Shut it, Loeffler. He is the owner so I suggest you shut your mouth before I cut your tongue out." Nico hissed as he took a step forwards.

Rig put his hand out and held him back from going further than he should. A man from behind Loeffler started to speak. "You should shut it, Nico. You shouldn't be the one who is talking. You know that."

Nico closed his lips in a line and stepped back. He bowed in apology and looked at Rig. Rig let him go and stepped away from Nico. He knew what Nico was capable of and didn't want to be killed at the moment. 

Xol raised a brow slightly as he shifted his weight over to his good leg. Loeffler put his arms to his sides as he looked at Xol.

"I have two guards who are awaiting my command to fire on the three of you. They have their sights centered on your heads. They are ready to kill you right on sight. Now, will you back down or am I going to have to blow your heads up? I am good with either one."

Xol smirked as he stood there. "Go ahead and shoot. The two guards that are on duty will shoot but not at us."

Loeffler smirked as he leaned back slightly. "Oh, are you so sure about that, Cardiff? They will shoot you when I give the command. It is as easy as snapping your fingers and having a dog obey you." He said with a wave of his hand.

Xol smirked slightly. "You seem so sure. Yates and Scott are the two guards on duty, aren't they?" Loeffler seemed to go pale slightly but said nothing. "Tell Yates to fire. I am sure he will do what you ask for. Do it."

Loeffler shook a tiny bit. "They will listen to me."

Xol raised a brow. "Prove it then. Tell Yates to fire." Loeffler said nothing still.

Dawn kept moving along the rooftops. What was Xol thinking? What was he doing? He was trying to get himself killed! Wait, unless he knew what was going to happen. That is highly possible as he is, after all, a master of secrets. He never tells you his secrets and if you ask him, he still won't tell you. He finds out about things that you try to hide from him also.

Loeffler raised his hand in the air and she started to move faster. "Yates! Fire!" He called. A gunshot echoed against the walls of the buildings. A scream was then heard in the night air.

Dawn looked down and saw that Rig was on the ground, crumbled in a ball as he held onto his side. Nico dropped to his side. "God dammit." He mumbled.

"Seems you are a bit paler, Loeffler. Why is that? Is it because you were suppose to shoot at me and not Rig here?" Xol asked. His voice changed. It was dark and more huskier. Seems as Dirtyhands has taken over.

"How... How did you know that those two would be the guards for tonight?" Loeffler asked. 

"Xol, Rig is bleeding badly. We need to get him out of here." Nico said.

Xol spared him the barest glance. "He doesn't need to. He went behind our backs and is working for Loeffler here. Why should we help him? He doesn't need any help in what he has done." He turned to Loeffler. "Shall I give Yates the command to see if he will shoot when I say it?" Loeffler said nothing once more. "Fire, Yates!"

Another gunshot was heard. It went close to Loeffler's right foot. Another shot was fired and she saw where it was coming from. It was coming from one of the watchtowers. She started to run as fast and as silently as she could so they wouldn't notice her. Another gunshot was heard and this one almost hit one of Loeffler's men. She felt like Xol had more to this little 'game' then she thought he did. Running faster along the rooftops, she listened to the conversation down below. 

Loeffler all the sudden took a gun out from inside his jacket and pointed it at Xol. Everyone froze, expect for Xol. He was both perfectly calm and unfazed by the fact a gun was pointed at him. He stood there as he leaned forward on his cane slightly. How did he have the gun when he was checked for weapons? Dawn then remembered she saw Rig pat him down. Seems as we caught him doing something he shouldn't have.

"Ah, you know that I know you have a girl, right?" Xol asked as he ignored Nico talking to him about Rig. Loeffler said nothing but paled a bit more. "She lives on 587 West Sunland, does she not?"

"How do you know that? You can't know that. You are bluffing." He said as his hand started to shake slightly. 

Xol stepped a couple steps forward so the barrel of the gun was pressed against his chest. "I am not. I have men standing outside her house. If I don't come out alive or unharmed when the third bell rings, they will set her building on fire. Room 3B to be exact. The apartment she lives in. She will die and you would wish that you let me be and kept your woman alive." Loeffler's finger were shaking against the trigger. 

Dawn kept running to get to the place where the gunshots were coming from. She felt like Xol was being a bit cruel. She also felt like he was bluffing too but this was Xol. You never know about him because he has so many tricks up his sleeves. He has his ways and everyone knows that.

"I am surprised such an ugly and fat guy as yourself is with such a beautiful woman as her. She could have picked some other guy who is sweet, rich, and nice looking but she choose you. How? I don't know. It is quite ironic to me why she did that. She choose a guy who has none of it. You should be lucky to have a girl like her."

Loeffler started to shake more as he stood there. "I still have Scott to fire at you. He will do it."

Xol raised a brow. "You so sure of that?"

"Of course I am. He is going to do it when I give him the command." Loeffler said. Dawn knew what was going to happen. Xol was cutting it a bit too close.

"Tell him to fire then." Xol said.

"Xol, stop this nonsense now while you are still alive." Nico said from his spot next to the bleeding Rig. None of the men snapped at Nico for speaking out this time.

"Tell him to shoot, Loeffler. Go ahead. Do it." 

Loeffler shook a bit more, if that was possible. "Fire, Scott!"

Dawn grunted under her breath as she jumped into the watchtower and put her knife to Scott's neck before he could shoot. "Pull the trigger and you will be dead before it hits anyone. Same goes for when you make the wrong move." She whispered into his ear. "Drop the weapon." He dropped it and raised his hands in the air. She kicked the gun to the side and listened to the conversation as she kept the blade to his neck. She could see sweat dropping down the side of his face when Scott didn't shoot on his command.

"Scott, Fire!" Loeffler called again. No gunshot was heard. He looked at Xol. "How did you do that?" He asked in now a non confident voice. Poor guy.

"I have my ways. I get information here and there. I am always one step ahead of everyone around here before I meet them in person." Xol said as he continued to lean on his cane.

"You are sick." Loeffler said as he kept his gun pointed at Xol. 

"Not as sick as killing your woman. Now, I have a deal for you. You either put your weapon away and leave before the third bells rings and I call my men off. Or you can pull the trigger and my men will kill your woman. I don't think you want that. I think you want to go home to her and have her kiss you, knowing that you came home safe. Have her run her fingers through your hair. Now, what are you going to do?" Xol said as he tapped the top of his cane.

Loeffler stood there for a moment before he put his gun away into his jacket. He didn't like that he was going to leave not killing Cardiff here but he didn't need his woman to be dead tonight. "Fine. You win, Cardiff. Be warned, I will come for you and it will be with force, no matter where it is. It might even be on neutral ground and I won't care."

Xol was unfazed once more. "I will be ready like I always am. I suggest you leave. Nico, let's go. It is time to be heading out. Rig can go with them. If I see you around again Rig, I will not hesitate to kill you." He turned his back to Loeffler and his men and walked away.

Nico gave Rig a sad smile before trotting after the limping Xol. Loeffler turned on his heels and Rig cried out to them. "Don't leave me, Loeffler!" He said as he reached his hand out towards them. Loeffler ignored him and kept walking off with his men following after him.

Dawn took the blade away from Scott's neck and pushed him away. "Be gone. I see you do something stupid, you are as good as dead." He ran off, not looking back as he ran.

She jumped out of the watchtower and onto the rooftops. She looked down and saw Rig dragging himself along the cement so he could get to a medic. Help him. Came a voice in her head. Don't help him as you don't know if Xol will punish you. Came another voice. It was hard what to do as Rig was like a brother to her. He was always there for her and helped her through the toughest times, besides Xol and Nico. She sighed as she looked at him again, seeing the blood trail that he left behind.

She turned her back on him and started to run off back to the Black Raven where the boss was. That was a hard choice but she knew Xol did the right thing. She sighed as she put her knifes away. Time changes and you can't change the fact that it did. It is something you have to live with. That is what she was doing now by leaving Rig behind. He choose that path and he will accept the fate that he shouldn't have done. And because of that, he will die because of it.

(Part of a story of mine on the side.)