Gold [Intro]

The sea was firmly under the control of fierce storm winds, frothing waves rising and falling with every resounding strike of thunder that arced through the darkened skies. The small boat rocked violently, thrown back and forth, nothing more than the plaything of the unforgiving tempests and raging tides, but a single figure, shrouded in darkness by the twilight, could be seen on the deck, keeping strict, unerring control of the rudder. The brief flashes of bright light would occasionally give form to this shape, revealing the glint of steel as it was reflected by metal armor, the figure clad from head to toe. Undeterred, the figure seemed to ignore the torrential rains, the waves, and the roaring winds around him, maneuvering the vessel steady with a grip of iron on its course towards its destination: Shadow Island.

The figure on the boat was no ordinary man, or even man at all. Cassius, the name the thing in that armor had given himself, was something entirely different, of course, something unholy, corrupted. Something that should not exist in this world, and yet, he existed, and was driven ever-forward by a single-minded purpose. He was on his way to Shadow Island precisely for this reason. His time in the Guild of Assassins he had belonged to had taught him more than a few tricks he would have never thought of when he was still working solo, and he felt a certain sense of appreciation for that man to this day, but Hidden Blades was no more. It had vanished for reasons that escaped Cassius, but the fact remained that he was still there, and his motivation to fulfill his desires had only gotten stronger alongside him. To this end, he had used his peculiar abilities to look for new avenues to do what he had always done, hearing rumors of a young organization that had taken root on Shadow Island, a group that seemed to align with his goals. Perhaps they could enter a pact that would aid both sides, much like the one he had made with that Chairman before. They would be of use to him, and he would be of use to them. A mutually beneficial contract, of sorts.

It was this idea that had driven Cassius to sea, the armored revenant leaving Fiore in Hargeon Town with an admittedly shabby vessel he had "acquired" when he had realized that walking to Shadow Island, while possible for him, would be a major detriment to his equipment. Seawater was corrosive, and he wouldn't accept damage to his precious collection. This shabby boat, however, driven forward by a simple sail and rudder, enough for the being who had no need for supplies or rest, had found its way into the confines of this raging storm, something that spoke volumes to Cassius' talent as a navigator and sailor. The creature in that armor was a being of many talents, but they were decidedly not of the nautical kind, the wraith, even now, silently dreading what would happen to his precious armor if this vessel would capsize and sink. He'd have to thoroughly clean his gear once he'd gotten through this mess.

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Personal Word Count: 530

Cassius' thoughts were centered still around the properties of briny saltwater when his senses picked something up, though the armor, naturally, had not made a move to do so. Cassius' way to process to discern and process information was entirely different when compared to that of humans, and so, without even as much as a glance, his entire being focussed on the ship that had appeared on the horizon. Its sails, illustrating just how laughable Cassius' own vessel was, loomed menacingly in the distance and approached swiftly, getting closer with every passing second. There was no mistake that Cassius and his sorry excuse for a boat were their targets. Why this was, of course, eluded the Wraith entirely. He had no valuables stored on this vessel, and indeed, even supplies were absent based on the revenant's lack of need for such. The only thing that here was himself and this armor he possessed, really, and if it was the armor they wanted ... well, he wasn't about to surrender a piece of his collection to them. It was an ordinary armor, indeed, one of such a kind that it would be found on every street corner in the workshops of Stella, perhaps, but it had been the wraith's possession for years and years now. It was his ...

... so if they really tried to take it from him, he would slaughter them all without a second thought.

As alert as a ghost in armor could be, Cassius did not stop or falter, however, not in the least intimidated by this approaching behemoth, only giving visible signs of his attention when the ship had practically sailed within grasping distance of his own vessel. Why would he be especially bothered, after all? Cassius ultimately had nothing in this world to fear. If anything, it would have to be the other way around.

The head of the armor turned, a single point of bright red light dancing around within as it seemed to peer upward at the other ship's railing, spotting an unfamiliar figure standing there. A woman? Cassius tilted his head slightly. What business did she have with him? There was little time to ponder, for as the thought had begun to drift through his mind, the storm would suddenly find itself silenced in its entirety, as if on a single, eerie command, which was the moment she would choose to greet him, not hesitating more than a breath before directing a question at the revenant.

Cassius tilted his head to the other side, at first offering no response as the red light danced from side to side within the empty headgear of the possessed armor, as if in thought, then finally, after a few moments, settling once more, its glow intensifying.

Cassius' intended for his answer to convey nothing more and nothing less than necessary, a raspy, distinct voice, like the scraping of metal upon rusted metal, echoing forth from the hollow space within the armor.

"... No"

He felt that he had made himself sufficiently clear before lowering his head again, this exchange once more demonstrating that the intricacies of interpersonal exchanges were entirely lost on the Wraith, primarily based on the fact that he, more often than not, was far less of a person than the other party he tried to communicate with. Thinking back, there had been one man who had seemed to understand him perfectly, even without the use of the spoken word humans were so fond of.

Now that he thought about it, it occurred to him that these people, as strange as they were, and as relieved as the Wraith was that they did not seem interested in his armor, as much relieved as a ghost possibly could be, that was, probably knew the area if they were sailing around with a ship of those proportions. Cassius thought for a few more moments before his head would turn back to the woman at the railing, his ghastly voice ringing out clearly against the crashing of waves once more, the breathless intervals between his broken speech making him seem all the more strange.

"... Cassius ... is seeking ... Shadow Island ... do you ... know it?"

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Post Word Count: 702
Personal Word Count Total: 1,232
Thread Word Count Total: 1,903

The speech that the woman used was entirely too flowery, too difficult to interpret, the Wraith thought. Without ever having been acquainted with the dialect and vocabulary that sailors often held as dear as the sea, Cassius had no concept for the mannerisms of someone such as her. Still, he could gather that she did indeed know of Shadow Island, that much seemed clear, but her connection to the group he was looking for was, indeed, decidedly unclear to the very direct ethereal being inhabiting this accursed suit of armor. The Wraith tilted his head, the glowing orb of crimson within swirling in a gesture of confusion, though Cassius pieced together the essence of what this human was saying from the context of her words and their situation, a skill that Cassius had learned during his time with his previous employer. Without such a skill, after all, he would have quickly been lost in the intricacies of human society, thus being unable to do his job... and that simply wouldn't do.

Cassius casually stretched out a hand, catching the telescope falling to his position from the higher railing, the orb inside the armor changing course and dancing within its metallic containment, shifting its attention to the thing the wraith now held firmly within his clutches. Indeed, a fine piece of craftsmanship this was, partially made of gold without a doubt, the weight would convey as much. The brilliant gems inlaid upon the material would shine, even in this truly dimmest of nights, reflecting the little light the moon managed to send to the surface of the waves. It was enough to prompt Cassius to "add it" to his collection right then and there, but when he thought about it for just a little longer, he discarded the idea entirely. It was valuable, there was no misunderstanding that fact, but things that held value and no purpose were idiotic. Why would one craft a utilitarian implement like this, a telescope, designed to aid the sensory functions of mortal beings, with such obvious attention to value and detail? All that value was wasted if, say, one would lose or damage such a thing in a combat situation, something that happened more often than not. Wear and tear were unavoidable, and things that one wouldn't, and indeed, couldn't use in such scenarios based on their value, well, they simply held no value at all, in the end. Cassius simply looked at it for a few more passing moments before throwing the telescope back.

The Wraith, of course, did not need tools like this one to aid him in spotting the danger before him. It wasn't like he hadn't known about this danger, either. He simply didn't care. If it got him closer to Shadow Island, he had been prepared to walk the seafloor and emerge once reaching his destination, an utterly pragmatic solution, but such was the nature of this being possessing an armor. He had also known that his ship, well, boat, really, was likely to be taken by the waves at some point or other, but again, the Wraith had little care for this fact. The Wraith shook his head, an easy gesture to convey objection. "Cassius ... knows". Of course he knew all of this. He didn't need it spelled out, but there was little alternative. Well, that was, of course, until she suggested an alternative, an offer that Cassius did not need to consider for long.

Without much thought, the Wraith abandoned his own vessel and left it for the sea to claim, scaling the ladder with swift, precise, and practiced movements. And indeed, the way the Wraith moved would convey a kind of certainty and confidence that his appearance and his words never could, positively affirming to every onlooker that the being preferred direct action over words any day of the week. With a final pull and a quick leap over the ship's railing, Cassius found himself on deck, the red orb within the visor swirling around before finally settling, appearing as if it peered in the woman's direction expectingly.

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Post Word Count: 682
Personal Word Count Total: 1,914
Thread Word Count Total: 3,105