The Viper and The Demjin

The final crossing

It was early noon when The Crows made their way over to the docks with their new hats on Kaz's cane concealed in his big coat ignoring Luciels protests, Amadeus carrying a sleeve of rolled up papers and Kaz carrying a small bag of pens and pencils.

"Good afternoon good sir I-I me and my crew need to board the skiff bound for General Kirigan's tent?"
Kaz said in the best Ravkan accent he could muster taking the folded paper from his breast pocket handing it over to the guard, the Ravkan guard took the paper from his hands reading it over carefully before handing it back to Kaz.

"A cartographer who wears gloves? Can't be too useful for making fine details."
The guard said moving to the side of the skiff ramp for them to pass through. Kaz let the others walk up before him.

"I make it work, I'm a-bit of a germaphobe."
Kaz whispered before boarding the skiff immediately joining Luciel and Amadeus in the back..what a truth that was. Once on the skiff they waited in the back of the skiff not risking it to go underneath into the cargo hold they stayed in the corner where they were covered by the floor they held the big sails and the spot where a squaller would push the wind through the sails, with a clear line of sight to the entrance of the skiff and the mast where the dim blue light was hung.
Kaz took out his cane with a sigh it making a small sound as it hit the floor holding it in his right hand.

"Alright we're in..now all we have to do is hope we survive the trip there-Madeus pray to your saints or whatever will make you feel better if you will PLEASE stop humming Zemenyi folk songs?!"
Kaz whisper yelled at Amadeus and sure enough, Madeus was humming nervously to himself.

"S sorry boss it's just-our life threatening heists are better then this! T this has vicious volcra who can tear us apart and eat us in a second!"
Amadeus rattled off all the bad things that could happen as Kaz shook his head moving to stand beside Luciel.

"If there is a chance we are attacked there's a storage entrance right below our feet..if that's not a safe option higher ground would be better for us."
Kaz said as Luciel touched her knives hidden in her pockets, she always had better aim from higher ground while Kaz always had the advantage on the ground.

"Alright..what'll happen when we get to the other side?"
Luciel asked her hand keeping touch with one of her knives.

"I suppose we'll find out when we get there."
Kaz responded as the ramp lifted effectively closing off the entrance and exist of the skiff, they were in this now and there was no backing out.
The skiff started moving forward slowly as the squaller above set a light wind to carry it into the fold, they could tell when they breached the entrance to the fold as they were covered in instant darkness and it sounded muffled as if they were under water. The squaller put a stronger wind into the sails for them to go faster but not too fast to alert the volcra to their location. Amadeus stopped humming and was now silently tapping his fingers on his twin pistols handles as Kaz stood still as stone his face unreadable but his eyes were flicking back and forth to the left side of the skiff, then to the right, then back and forth looking for any threat on and off the skiff.

"Done this before boss?"
Amadeus asked watching his eyes.

"Only in my dreams."
Kaz responded half sarcastic and half not, he always dreamt of going into the fold and finding his parents..sometimes happy and alive and running to him-or, or they were dead and decaying like Jordie's image and voice in his head. And then he would wake up but this wasn't a dream, and he couldn't wake up in a safe place now.
As they plunged deeper into the fold the more anxious they got, no matter how much you were trained there was always something eerie about the fold and being in it made it 100x worse then just seeing and hearing about it. Multiple times volcra swooped down near the skiff but never bothered much until a younger hungrier volcra decided to go in for a bite and swooped down aiming for a guard standing by the mast where the blue light hung lowly, the guard managed to roll out of the way leaving the volcra's claws heading straight towards Kaz and the others. There as a scream of

"Look out!"

And Kaz went rolling on the floor towards Luciel his bad leg protesting greatly as it hit and floor and then was righted again as Kaz stood up quickly the volcra flying away as a inferni on board blasted fire towards the creature until it flew away and didn't return...Kaz was panting looking at Amadeus who had his revolvers out and ready to fire at any moment, and then Luciel who has her knives out and ready a hand pressed softly against Kaz's side in case she needed to push him back.

"Crows stay together through thick and thin."

Kaz remembered the words he told them mere months before.

"I forget that myself sometimes."

Kaz thought as he gave the slightest nod and Amadeus put his revolvers away and Luciel hesitantly put her knives away her hand not leaving his side just yet and that's when he realized-his hand was clutched tightly to his cane and his small knives were tucked between his fingers like lock-picks or a deck of cards.
It was another tense hour or so before they all squinted their eyes as light flooded the skiff and the air around them, they made it out of the fold sliding towards the uplifted beach where the dock was awaiting for them.

"All guards and cartographers please head onto the dock and go to your assigned carriage!"
A squaller called out as everyone started filing out of the skiff including the crows as they blended into the back of the crowd. They walked onto the dock cautiously looking around for any carriages, until a older looking man wearing a hat like theirs, and a fine tailored suit.

"Oí! Your the cartographers right? Headed for General Kirigans camp?"
The man called out walking towards them a warm smile on his face.

"Who asks?"
Kaz asked even through the stone expression he managed to keep his Ravkan accent.

"Sir Jakob! I'm your escort to the carriage, and then to the camp. Right this way."
Sir Jakob responded holding out a arm gesturing to a carriage that sat yards away from where they were standing. Kaz not wanting to create suspicion by being too suspicious himself, they reluctantly followed Sir Jakob who started some small talk with Amadeus about farming and cartography as they walked, until Kaz peered closer at the carriage they were approaching and saw none other then the Dime Lions symbol poorly covered up by black paint on the side of the carriage.

"There's a storm coming!"
Kaz called his fake Ravkan accent gone as he immediately drew his pistol firing into Jakobs leg as Amadeus pulled out his twin revolvers immediately pointing them as two more 'guards' came out of the carriage weapons drawn, it was short lived as Luciel threw two precisely aimed knives into the hearts of both of them.

"How did he know we were here?! How did he get here?"
Kaz exclaimed angrily as he quickly hopped into the carriage followed by Luciel as Amadeus stayed on-top to steer the horses.

"There's no way he got on a skiff here they wouldn't risk sending 2 out in the same week!"
Luciel said her face stuck in a worry.

"The letter we intercepted..Dreesen said it was meant for someone else-it was meant for Pekka Rollins, he wouldn't be dumb enough to not send 2 letters not only one! He came over with the conductor I have no doubt...only he could get across with the dirtiest thing but still claim to be the cleanest.."
Kaz said his usual rasp was more pronounced the vengeful look in his eyes passed through with a dangerous ferocity and it didn't go away in a blink like it usually did.

"Kaz...Kaz listen to me what do we do?"
Luciel asked her hand hovering above his knee not sure if she should touch him or not.

Kaz looked up at her his sea blue eyes now darker then the night sky with a hue of that icy blue she loved.

"We fight, we get the black General, we get our money, and then we take down Pekka Rollins brick by brick."

And Luciel didn't miss how that vengeful look in his eyes didn't waver for a second.