REAPER ─ kaz brekker

three; red right hand

003;         RED RIGHT HAND

DESPITE  THE OVERARCHING TRIALS KETTERDAM LAID UPON ONYX, SHE FELT SOMEWHAT RELUCTANT TO DEPART.

In truth, Ketterdam and at more vague and broad sense, Kerch, was the only home Onyx knew. Of course, she knew a great deal about the countries that surrounded the small, trade driven island she spent her life on, but that didn't ease the unforgiving anxiety bubbling beneath the surface. Ketterdam had never been kind to her, and those within it even less so. But for all its darkness and greed driven tourists, the city itself had become hers-- the gabled roofs were her well trodden paths and the districts were where she hunted her prey. For all its downfalls, it was her only sense of home and relative familiarity.

And she was leaving it to spend six or seven days on a small ship with a skeleton crew that would take them to Fjerda. How utterly exciting.

After they departed from the Crow Club the day prior, Onyx had been set about with the task of gathering some roughspun, old clothing that would allow them to blend in with other dockworkers. It was an easy enough job, but Onyx felt ill at ease without her cloak wrapped around her body as she approached Fifth Harbor. And it was a strange sight, seeing the others in the same uncomfortable clothing as herself. Kaz was without his fitted, intricately cut suit, Onyx noticed. It made him appear like any other fisherman or dockworker preparing to head out to sea for the day. Everyone else was there, save for Inej, who must've been running behind schedule.

Onyx slipped down the dock as quietly as she could, shooting Nina a raised eyebrow when she noticed Matthias had been practically bound to her side in order to keep him from bolting. The big ones never do know when to stop, do they? She stopped somewhere near the edge of the dock and a moment later, Kaz silently slipped in beside her, just as he had the morning he dragged her into this endeavor.

She glanced up at him briefly. "I see you made decent work of the big Fjerdan."

"His ankles were shackled last night," he told her, folding his hands atop his cane, gaze pointed out over the silent docks. "It may come as no surprise to you, Miss Vissier, but the bigger they are, typically the less common sense they have."

Her lips twitched minutely at that. "That would entail all--"

She never had her chance to finish, however, as the whole of Fifth Harbor seemed to spin on its head. The ship only feet behind them exploded, sending splintered pieces of wood through the air and a black trail of smoke into the sky. The sheer force behind the explosion knocked Onyx off balance and made her ears ring uncontrollably. She dove behind the nearest crate she could find as the scattered, thrumming sound of gunfire reverberated overhead. 

Kaz mentioned other teams potentially wanting in on this deal, of competitors wanting to beat them out on the payout, but this soon? It didn't matter now. It was pointless wondering and pondering why they were under attack or who was attacking them. All that mattered was managing to get out of this fight alive and intact enough to complete the mission.

Onyx slid her bow over her head and pulled an arrow from the leather quiver wrapped around her leg and quickly notched it in place. She carefully peeked out over the edge of the dilapidated crate she was using as cover. None of the others were visible, which hopefully meant they were in the same state as she was-- preparing to take out as many as she could before they could safely make their escape. With a quick once over of the surrounding dock, she spotted two men, guns drawn, advancing in her direction. The first went down mere moments after she saw him, an arrow careening through his throat. She dispatched the second with a knife from her sleeve.