Hector didn't have to look for the boss. He always knew where he was. His innate skill was to always know where the most dangerous person was. And the boss was always the most dangerous person. This made him an excellent right-hand man. And as long as he was far enough away from the boss he always knew where to look first to break another ship's morale.
Hector stalked the halls before stepping outside. At the back of the house was a tool shed with two doors that looked just a little too sturdy. Hector knocked on the door before stepping in. The shed was extravagant inside. A large bed was placed against the back wall. Velvets and silks were hung from every corner. Signs of opulence had been strewn about. If you didn't know the boss you would have guessed it was decorated by someone who didn't know really rich people lived.
"Boss, Joust reeled in a fish," Hector said into the dark as he avoided looking into the room.
"As expected. This one should be fun. A nice little birdy told me he was coming." Said a voice from the back. The voice was soft and smooth like glass, but it held a little gravel in the back like it needed some water.
Hector wanted until he heard his boss stand up and touch him on the shoulder. This let him know it was okay to turn around. "Thank you for coming, where is he in the house?"
Hector looked up at his boss. The Boss was tall even by human or demi-human standards. His body was almost entirely human. The key signs that he wasn't human were his jet black hair and the slightly green and purple tinge of his skin. His eyes were a tourmaline color and his fingernails were jet black. The combination made him alluring and frightening at the same time.
"That's the problem. This one can't come into the house. His skill seems to have an area of effect." Hector said rubbing his chin. "You think should go to the actual warehouse?"
The boss pulled a shirt over his body and then his jacket across his shoulders. A pirate should look like a pirate. The boss preferred to actually go shirtless. He loved the feel of salt air on his skin and the water in his face. But the image was almost everything in his line of work. And he had been in this line of work for a very long time.
"Yes, the warehouse is already prepped. I thought this might happen. I will be there in 15 minutes. Tell Joust to bring him and that pet skeleton of his with him."
Hector nodded. "Understood." And he headed out of the room.
The boss looked in his mirror and adjusted his hair. "I never get to sleep. I think I haven't murdered enough people to be left alone lately. Maybe this one? Who knows." He said before walking out and heading towards the warehouse.
Hector made his way back into the house and found Joust standing exactly where he left him. He knew that every member of the crew knew what was expected of them and what would happen if they didn't do it. Joust had his hands behind his back and his eyes closed. It almost looked like he was asleep.
"Warehouse." That was all that Hector had to say. Joust nodded and walked out of the building.
Joust gave the commands to Skeletal Ed when he got back to him. He nodded and started walking further in towards the docks.
When they made it to the warehouse Joust held the door open when his Ed gave the command to go inside. Ed followed his two friends into the building and walked beside the skeletal man. He wanted to fight the urge but he had the feeling that the person he was waiting to meet was going to be important.
In the town, For'Ten had just made it to the edge of the docks and was standing far enough away that he couldn't make out the outline of Ed being escorted into the door. For'Ten put his hand over his eyes to block out the sun as he searched the streets for any signs of Ed.
A shadow walked up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. When For'Ten looked at the man behind him he had to look twice. The man had unnaturally white features and a cape of white and gold that stood out in the crowd of fishers and pirates. It screamed foreigner against the backdrop of dingy worn-out buildings.
"I need to speak with you For'Ten," Morgan said to the man who was surprised he knew his name. For'Ten squinted against the face, it was familiar but his brain was fighting with what was more important at this moment.
Down from him Ed was being walked into a room and made to sit down. The skeletal young man asked him to sit down and only speak if spoken to. They didn't need ropes. Ed hadn't figured out how to get past this yet.
As For'Ten was being led away by Morgan another man finally walked into the room where Ed was seated.
"Good Afternoon. I see that my friends have brought me a visitor. What is your name?"
Ed opened his mouth and words just came out. "I am Ed." He wouldn't have lied anyway but this feeling was like having his voice come from somewhere inside that he couldn't control.
"Well isn't that nice? You idiots found me another Ed. How many Ed's are there in the southern lands. Ed, what are you doing in my town?" The man stood with his hands on his hips. His face was littered with disgust.
"I am here to find three people and get their codex. I have two. I need the third." Ed's mouth opened again and words spilled out.
"And who is the third?" The man spoke.
"I think you are but I need to move my hands to know for sure." Ed finally gave up trying to fight. If he found out what was happening he hoped that For'Ten would find him before this man killed him. And if he did kill him Ed had been revived so many times that he figured he would just wake up in another building a few years from now and start over.
"Oh, well then please, by all means, do check." The man turned his back and walked towards joust.
Ed suddenly had control of his hand. He reached into his pocket and touched the first coin he found. He only had his and the blank one in there at this point. Joust and the other Ed has theirs and they were showing them to the man as Ed closed his eyes and reached out for the dots.
He confirmed it. There was only one dot in the room. The other two were no longer showing in his mind. He tried to back out as far as he could but he couldn't see past the room. He suspected that the compulsion was the cause of that. Either way, he knew that this man was the one he needed.
"All finished now?" The man turned back around as he held the two coins in his hand. "So tell me about these coins."
Ed tried to resist but spilled the story about The Oracle and the codex and that he simply needed to get the men to touch them. He managed to keep For'Ten and the other from his story. He didn't want them to get spooked.
"Do you have one for me?" The man took a step closer. "I do love presents."
Ed reached into his pocket and pulled out the blank one. The man snatched it from his hand and watched as the coin floated from his hand and started to spin in the air. The shiny metal turned black and became very thick. On one side a "D" was forming on the face. On the other side, a skull was starting to form. The black coin looked like ebony glass and shone even in the dim light.
"Well isn't that beautiful. I think I shall wear that around my neck." The man took the coin and held it where a necklace would normally sit. "The problem is what do I do with you now. I heard a whisper that you would be coming. I was advised not to kill you, but they never said anything about not hurting you."
The man put the coin in his pocket. Ed panicked for a minute. He wasn't sure what the end game was for all of these coins. He figured he needed them back. The Oracle had said that she needed the codex to do whatever it was they were planning on doing to reset the world. Did that mean she needed them back?
Ed managed to get enough divine power built up to break the compulsion just a bit. "What is your name?"
The sudden voice surprised the tall man. "I have a regular first and last name as you. But everyone calls me The Dirge. Have you never heard of me?"
Ed shook his head. It took a bit more power than he intended to break the compulsion. He suddenly fell back into being compliant.
The man looked a little disappointed. "Well too bad. You are now one of my playthings. You see I collect odd things. These two men for example. One who sees souls and magic, and the other who can only agree with what you tell him. But he also has the power to make other people agree. And my good man Hector tells me that you can amplify these abilities.
I wouldn't have believed it but I can feel the power through me growing just a bit stronger. What do I have special? I would love to tell you but that's going to stay my little secret for now."
The Dirge turned and faced the door. "I collect nice things, I take nice things, and I destroy nice things. Unfortunately for you, this is where you end. You are going to become one of my nice little things. I just have to figure out how to get you on the boat safely."
The Dirge pointed at Joust. "Can you tell how far his power radiates?"
Joust shook his head. "I haven't figured out the trick yet. I can see power coming off of him but the ability appears to be proximity-based. Whatever it is, it's passive sir. He doesn't know how to use it or how to control it."
The Dirge looked over his shoulder. He shook his head. "That's a shame. I guess we do it the old fashioned way." He crossed the room and pulled a club from his side. Before Ed could collect himself he felt the world go black from the hit to the back of his head.
Outside people started screaming. The sound of panicked humans and demi-humans grew louder as the sun suddenly got dimmer. The light faded around the windows around the roofline. The filthy glass panes were being blocked out one by one on the side of the building until a claw came through the roof and pulled part of it off.
Through the hole, The Dirge could see Ivory white scales laid down on golden skin. "Are you kidding me!" His scream started Joust and the skeletal young man as they both looked up. They threw their arms over their heads to block the debris from raining down on them.
Through the hole, a man fell into the middle of the room. For'Ten dropped to the door with a thud and landed on one knee. As he stood up he pulled his sword from his back and pointed it at The Dirge. "I believe you have my friend."
Ed came back to the world groggily. He tried to say anything but he couldn't. The dirt from the rafters being forced to bear the weight of the dragon blocked his vision. He felt someone trying to drag him away from the fight.
For'Ten heard the chair scraping and looked over at Ed who was stuck to the chair. For'Ten tried to take off towards him when The Dirge pulled a small set of daggers from behind his back and leaped.
For'Ten put sword up in a defensive stance and pushed to block the attack. The Dirge twisted slightly and pushed his arms out in an attempt to hit his target. He knew at this distance he didn't have enough speed to break through the defense.
For'Ten twisted the sword and tried to throw the man. The Dirge put one foot on the sword and pushed off. He flew backward into the dust as For'Ten stumbled.
The dragon flew off the roof and disappeared letting light spill back into the room.
Outside Joust and the skeleton were doing their best to pull the chair through the door. "Get up and follow us." The Skeleton Ed whispered into Ed's ear.
Using everything he had in him he fought the urge. His muscles were working on their own. Ed poured power into his body to fight back. Nothing helped. He slowly stood up and walked over to Joust and started to chase after them when they ran.
They made it around the corner when a shadow covered them both. Joust and the other Ed looked up at the black shadow of the white and gold dragon. It flew ahead of them and landed in the street.
With eerie speed, the dragon changed. The neck retracted and reformed into a human head. The wings and tail wrapped around the body until they became a cloak. The man walked towards them. Joust wanted to run but the exit was blocked. Behind them, the Dirge and the large man with the naturally large sword were still fighting.
This dragon-man was blocking their escape and they would be severely punished if they didn't get him away.
"I will permit you to run if you just leave the other man alone," Morgan said with as much menace as he could muster.
The skeletal Ed pissed himself in fear. He didn't have the body mass or fortitude to resist the man standing before him. He didn't even look at their captive. HIs own compulsion forced him to turn and run. No one had given a contradictory order so he ran to save his life.
Joust watched as his Ed turned back towards the warehouse. Joust cursed his luck and hit Ed as hard as he could. Ed fell down to the ground as Joust ran for his life. Morgan walked up to Ed and smiled as he reached down to pick him up.
When Morgan finally got the man up and dusted him off he felt the compulsion going away. Either the compulsion wore off when he got far enough away or this man's presence was more powerful than the compulsion. Ed was pleased to feel in control of his body again.
"Thank you for the blast of divine power earlier. It helped me find you. If you don't mind. I need to go check on the knight." Morgan said with a smile before walking towards the door of the warehouse. He turned in and walked in like someone who might be going into a friend's home.
Ed got himself collected and started to head inside to back up For'Ten when The Dirge came crashing through the wall. From the other side of the hole, Ed could see a large white tail slinking back towards Morgan.
The Dirge bounced off the opposite wall before collapsing on the dirt. Ed ran over and collected the black coin. As The Dirge started to stir just as Ed took off into the hole. He ran as fast as he could muster.
Morgan stepped towards the pirate, ignoring Ed, and stared at the man on the ground. "I thought your race was as dead as mine."
A voice from the ground came giving away that the man wasn't dead. "No, we are just smart enough to hide better than yours." The Dirge started to get up from the ground.
Morgan sneered. "Mine fought to protect the peace. Yours fought only for beauty. The most shallow of reasons to fight."
"No, we fight to live another day." The dirge said and dropped two balls off his belt. Smoke billowed around him and filled the space between the buildings. Morgan tried to use the edge of his wings to fan the smoke away but it was too late. The Dirge had escaped in the distraction.
"Damn, I would have liked to ask him where his people are now." Morgan walked over and moved the debris with his foot. He looked for any sign of where he might have gone.
"Don't worry, I have what I need from him," Ed said looking through the opening. "I just need the coins from the other two now."
"Oh, well that's easy enough. We just have to wait for a little and the rats will flee the harbor. Then we know which boat to chase." Morgan smiled and turned towards Ed. "Loran sent me. And not a moment too soon." He said holding out a hand to Ed. "My name is Morgan Firrenze."
"Ed," He shook the hand and nodded.
For'Ten walked through the opening and put the sword back on its holder. He stretched his arm out and checked his clothes. It had cuts but nothing made it through the thick leather armor. "I should have known Loran would come up with something like this. Where is she?"
Morgan looked towards the city center. "She should be at the edge of town by the time we make it there. I would like to get away before people come looking for a dragon. Hiding has always been the way I stayed alive."