Price grew quiet as he gazed cautiously up and down the sides of the room. It was as if he was waiting to see if the walls had ears or not. "Mr. Arubak, I came to The Rock out of consideration for my well being. It behooves me to tell you that I consider you, and The Holy land, to be somewhat capable in providing a location that meets those needs. So it also behooves me to inform you of things that I consider to be threats to that." There was another quiet pause as the words were allowed to settle in. It was all coming at Arubak somewhat fast, but before he could speak up himself, Price added more.
"Several hours before that battle, I was attending a party here in the Holy Land. Lovely soiree, put on by a Mr. Blacksun. Fabulous party, though I never ran into him sadly. I did run into someone though, and accidentally spilled my drink on them quite embarrassingly. Well, a while later while I socialized with some other guests of the party, I was informed that the man I bumped into was in fact a Sorillian warlord here on The Rock. A gentleman by the name of Crown Prince Theory. Perhaps it's not strange for you to host such people here in your city... However, it is quite strange that both he and Mr. Blacksun have been missing from your city ever since the battle outside took place."
Price rose a hand to ask for one more moment to finish what he had to say. "I have a feeling that this isn't perhaps what you want to hear. You value your business, but more than that, your family. Safety, protection, and peace are important for you. I'm not trying to encourage a war here Mr. Arubak, but I would be putting myself in danger by not telling you that there may be more players in this game than just those thieves. Maybe they were working alone, maybe for Theory, or maybe Theory is using them to achieve his own goal. Either way, if we are going to work together, and I'd very much like to, then to be honest... I need to make sure you and your people are safe too."
A weary smile grew on the industrialists face as he gave a slightly bow of his head. "I hope you understand. And... I hope this information actually helps you."
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Past:
"Captain Logrem Percival Ashefield of the Sorillian Imperial Navy." Ash spoke with a steely tone. "Captain Ash works fine too. Now, what exactly did you want to see me about Mohan? You say you have our men, where are they?" The Captain kept a tense grip on his rifle, but left it in a lowered position and made no attempts to make threats with it. At this moment, he was trying to keep things calm and cool.
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Present:
Ash's steed bucked wildly as he struggled to maintain his grip, bullets whizzing his way. "Otis! Horik! Get that bloody thing into position! Syra and Seru! Give me cover!" He shouted out in a dazed rage as his body was flung about. Eventually, the Captain slid off the horses back, and was now wrapped around it's left side as it bolted towards the gates of the Fort. The guards were taken completely off guard, seeing this riderless horse bolting off past them. They assumed the rider must have been flung off.
These guards had seen plenty of wild things in the past. But it wasn't until the horse was already going by did they see the barrel of Ash's rifle poking up over the side. Until this moment, they had never bore witness to such Martial Feats of Comanche Horsemanship.
Several shots rang out, slamming into the chest plate Mr. Weer wore like a freight train. With that, and the combined weight of his sword, it sent him toppling backwards into the sand. Another shot rang out and blasted a hole through the barrel Saly was hunkering behind, just narrowly missing her right ear. In a panic, she made a dash back inside the fort, keeping low to avoid being hit.
There was a mad attempt to get the gate closed, but as they worked at this, they could see the horse making its way back towards the dunes from which it came, and a figure standing in the middle of the sands, rifle raised straight at them. More cracks could be heard in the air as bullets were launched through the gates.
The guards returned fire, but Ash wasn't slowing down, nor were his bullets.
From where they stood, it was clear he intended to kill them.