Ed lets out a gasp, absolutely shocked by the ignorance of this young child! Only a day on his crew and already she thought she knew better than his many years of experience. Just where exactly did she get off? He had laid out his plans, as was only right. He had drawn diagrams to make it easier to understand! What more did she want from him?! To top off the insult, she obviously had not been paying any attention to the plan, as her question was awful.

"Peadboy will be releasing the bear, a key part of this plan if it is to succeed. His role is crucial. Crucial!" Ed mutters under his breath, seething with anger.

But the girl was already leaving. Ed sighs, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to alleviate the growing tension building there. What happened to minions respecting their boss? Was it too much to ask for undying loyalty from underlings? Glancing at Peabody, he realises he has at least one crew member who is willing to do anything for him. Even though his question had started this small mutiny, the thought sends a sharp pain through Ed's heart, it was Peabody. So the question had been asked with the utmost respect for Ed and his position as captain. Perhaps it had been meant to highlight his plan, to show that it did not actually need any improvement. Then the girl had jumped in with her insubordination. Oh, there would be consequences! No victory celebrations for her once the job was done. Well, she could celebrate, but no wine. The depth of his wrath knew no bounds.

Speaking of Peabody, when Ed met his eyes, his manservant suddenly looked away as if embarrassed. Ah, so then this had not been his intent. Good. He nods to himself as he begins gathering things they might need from the Pride. If this was only to be a scouting mission, then he would not need much. A disguise would of course be needed. The last thing he needed was to be spotted nearby right before performing a heist. Basics. He slips on the eye patch, straightens up his coat and that does it. Perfect. Enough to get him back to his room at the Salty Barrel, where he would be able to don his actual disguise.

"Well, Peabody. You take the ship and scout the area from the water. Perhaps you and Twinkle will be able to find something handy from the there."

Without waiting for a response, or more accurately, knowing that Peabody would follow the order flawlessly and without question, Ed takes off after the girl. He hops over the side of the boat and onto the pier. She hasn't gone far, and it in a few of his longer, superior strides, he has caught up with and overtaken her.

"I have decided that I shall listen to my crew. It is the mark of a good captain, being willing to do whatever is needed to lessen the fears of those under his command." Perfect. Control of the situation was back in his hands.

Whistling a jaunty little tune, he continues at this pace, perhaps a little maliciously if he was to be honest with himself. The slip where he kept his own ship, small boat, wasn't in too bad of an area. The inns and taverns nearby were priced fairly, perhaps a little on the cheap side which wasn't a bad thing considering his depleted funds. But the guards patrolled, which meant petty crime happened less frequently. Brawls broke out between sailors on leave, but it was rare that anything led to serious injury or death. In all, it wasn't a high end area, but it could be much worse. Which was the direction he was heading in now. The overall quality of the buildings and people began to slide, and the general odor permeating the air was much less tasteful. This alone was almost enough to make him call the whole thing off now, perhaps instead see if they could hit a legitimate business on the other side of the docks. Then they would need to deal with guards, many more guards. No, this was the course he had set and he would follow it through to the end.

If his information was to be trusted, the warehouse in question should be just up ahead.

Maybe she was a little harsh. But if her life was at stake then it was understandable, right?


A bear. Really. How imaginative was this man? He was an adult, right? He sure didn't act like one!


She heard his hurried footsteps catch up to her. Maybe she should apologize. At least slow down so he had an easier time catching up. She cast a glance over her shoulder, opening her mouth to speak. Before she could get a single word out, he passed her by and started jabbering again. 
"I have decided that I shall listen to my crew. It is the mark of a good captain, being willing to do whatever is needed to lessen the fears of those under his command."


"Your crew, hu?" She muttered to herself, annoyed. She was about to snap back at him but his words did hold a certain something to them. Despite the anger that sparked when she thought about being stuck with this man and his group for a while, a phrase in there struck a chord with her. His talk about being a good captain gave her pause. 
This all seemed like some silly game to her. Something a child might do to pass the time. But the stakes where much more than winning or losing. 
To him however, this truly mattered. And more than that he really had a group he wanted to take along with him. 


She had just met the man, and was far from ever trusting him in the least bit. She still had the idea of maybe trying to take the boat later or slip out under the cover of darkness and find a new route; that would be a better plan.
But perhaps she should at least see where this goes. 


It was pathetic that her strongest tie to this whole adventure was curiosity. She should have better reasons but here she was, walking down the street to a warehouse to have a stakeout. 


The further down the street they got, the mustier the buildings became. The streets where quiet save for the quiet scratching of leaves and debris being blown across the cobbles. 
It was unsettling. Kamri herself lived on the other side of town, the nicer end. It had some nice buildings and gardens and stayed clean. This area however was farther from home and she wasn't familiar with it at all. 
Evening would fall soon. The sky was already turning into a murky orange. 
She cast a spell on herself. A shadow spell that would cause illusions and distractions. She used it to alter her appearance slightly. She added some tears to her robes and added some scars to her arms and face. Nothing too different. Her magic wasn't very polished but unless someone really stared at her, the fake scars and tears looked passable. 
She swirled her hand in the air which created a black and groggy mist. It swirled down to the street below them and added some minor scuffs to the Captain's shoes and made them both appear less cleanly. 
Well, it made Kamri appear like she was covered in a thin coat of dust. The bald oaf however didn't need much alteration. 


"I think we've arrived." She whispered. 


Down the street, a few blocks ahead, stood a large one story building. Its windows smashed but boarded up.
There were a few things that gave this building the impression it was what they were looking for. 
There were plenty of marks on the building for propaganda and the like. But among the jumbled letters and symbols, one type stood out. Two symbols, one on each wooden support beam in front of the door. It depicted the head of a fox with a coin in its mouth, all drawn in a dark red paint. 


Furthermore, two men stood a few yards from the door. They were sweeping the street, minding their own business, but hey always positioned themselves so the door was always in their eyesight. Besides, the fact that they were both much too muscular and intimidating to be mere cleaners in this part of the city was a dead giveaway. 


"We can't get too close without drawing their suspicion. We need to find another route."  She took a moment to look around. There was a rundown home just down the alleyway. It was close enough to the ground to have good chances to find a decent way up. She headed down that direction, stuffing her hands in her pockets and slouching- like what she assumed a thug or criminal would walk like. 

She wasn't entirely wrong but honestly she knew nothing of the ways of the thugs and gamblers and probably just looked grouchy. 


Reaching the alleyway she turned around to check to see if the captain was following her. "Help me find a way up here," She whispered. 

Burt sighs, sweeping the exact same patch of ground that has been occupying his attention for the last eight hours. The day shift was always the easiest, nobody ever came by during the day. Too well lit to be seen coming and going from a den of thieves and vagabonds, wasn't it? Which meant, every day for the last seventeen years he had been positioned on this same patch of street, sweeping this same imaginary dust, staring at the same door that nobody used. Wasn't even like they used it during the night, either. No, no, the boss was much too sneaky to use a regular door like a regular person for his business. Thing was a decoy. A trap. A ruse, designed to snare anyone foolish enough to risk the most powerful mid level criminal in the city. Was an enviable position. High up enough on the food chain to not be struggling, but also not too high up that everyone wanted a piece of you. Also meant for made men, much like Burt was, you could have the cushty jobs. The simple things. Meant to be a reward for hard work. Felt a lot like retirement to him. Wasn't meant to be on this duty for so long, was just meant to be a rest while his leg healed. But here he was, sweeping the same spot of ground, in front of the same false entrance. His partners cycled out. The new guy wasn't much of a talker. They weren't meant to talk, that was true, but there were ways to sneak in the odd word. Bond a little. Makes the day pass further. What else were they going to do, for eight hours a day, every day? Burt lets out an explosive sigh as he looks up and down the street, and freezes as he catches sight of an odd looking man coming his way.
Well this was a predicament. According to the man in the bar, a shady man in a bar known for disreputable clientele, this was meant to be where Ed would be finding himself a nice little sum to swipe out from under the nose of a local crime lord. He had expected the area to be run down, that was true. The breed of criminal he was targeting here couldn't exactly be seen to be doing business opposite a guard post. But where was the grandeur? The pride in one's own place of business? There was no way any of these buildings, run down and damaged as they were could possibly be his target. He was looking for someone with sway, with pull in the city. Someone who could afford to fix their windows when they were broken. To hire guards to protect their assets. It was the middle of the day, and the only people around were cleaning the street! No, this could not be his target, which meant he must have gotten himself turned around at some point. The question was, where?

Well luckily Ed was not too proud to ask for directions. If there was a building in the nearby area housing such a powerful criminal then the locals would know about it. In fact, they would probably be more than willing to talk about it. If not to just gossip to pass away the day, they might also be hoping for just this situation to come along. A dashing hero, come to steal from the corrupt and give to the needy! In this situation, Ed just happened to be that needy fellow. But another time, it could be these two street cleaners who would be benefiting from this heist! This in mind, he checks his eye patch is in place, pats down his coat to check for all his assorted bits and pieces, and heads towards them, walking tall and confident.

"Hello there! Gentlemen! A moment of your time if I may?" Smile in place, Ed approaches the street cleaners. He already knows how he is going to play this. He has a couple of silvers ready in his hand. Two simple working men would be more than happy to part with some information in exchange for a little coin to spend at the tavern. With jobs as common and boring as theirs, he could only imagine that trips to the tavern were the only thing keeping them from going quite mad.
The man approaching did not look intimidating, but there was definitely something off about him. Before his current posting Burt had worked the streets, and worked them well. No matter how long he spent as an ornament out here on this street, there were some instincts that would never die. There was just something about this man that made the backs of his eyes itch. He found himself gripping the broom, hard, with one hand. The other was already wrapping around a dagger tucked into the back of his belt.

"I was hoping you fine gentlemen could help me. I'm looking for a warehouse, full of unsavory character. It must be around here somewhere. Perhaps if you tell me where, I could be convinced to part with some silver."

What. The. Hell.

"Help me find a way up here," Kamri whispered. She waited, but hear no footsteps behind her.

She turned around. 

"Hey are you coming or- and he's gone." Her shoulders drooped and she slouched. Where did he go? He was right there. 

Two seconds ago.

"Moron…" she looked up to the sky and placed her hands on her face, groaning.
 "Don't tell me you ran off."

She dragged her hands down her face, pulling down her skin, gaunt expression in her eyes.
Right, he couldn't have gone far. Best to search before too much time passed. Maybe he went around a different route?
Walking back onto the street. it was obvious where he had disappeared to. She heard his grating voice just down the street. Dear god. Please don't be dumb enough to go and talk to the guards. Don't be dumb enough. Don't be dumb enough! 
She turned around and looked at the scene before her in utter annoyance. 
Yes. Of course he would be talking to a guard! 


"The Hell does that idiot think he's doing?"  She pinched the bridge of her nose. She would have to dig him out of this. Maybe she could use some of her charm, or her quick wit? 
After all, she was rather smart and beautiful. At least, she thought so. 
She stepped out of the alleyway, walking towards the guards. She would have to lie or create some story and grab her newfound companion before things got rough. 

- - - 

"Ay! Who're ya talkin' to, Burt?"  The Second guard wiped his nose with his forearm and trudged on over.  "Who's baldy 'ere?" 

He stood rugged, a good six feet tall. His nose took up most of his features, and his brow was thick and protruded from the rest of his face.  He looked Ed up and down, brow half raised. "Get outta' ere. Scrawny people snap in these parts." He waved a hand to Ed, grumbling. "Come on, Burt. If we donts pretend we're sweeping, the boss gets a little iffy and we dun get our payment." 

He spied Kamri standing A little while back down the road. 
"Eurgh. What's with the charred looking Gal o'er there?" 


–


Kamri walked up, head held high and shoulders back. She walked up next to Ed. "Hey there…. Brother.  What… are you doing? Here? Next to these obviously dangerous men?"
She looked at them both. They could crush them both with their hands alone. Abnormally stocky, and not her first choice to fight. 
She spook through clenched teeth. 
"I sure hope you don't mean to cause these gentlemen some trouble and leave. Right now." 


"Baldy…." she looked up to the sky and placed her hands on her face, groaning. "Don't tell me you ran off."She dragged her hands down her face, pulling down her skin, gaunt expression in her eyes.

Ed cringes as the smell of the second man's breath washes over him, the stench enough to make his eyes water. Someone definitely needed to have a conversation with the man about the dangers of gum disease, but at this moment in time, Ed was not going to be the one to do it. While the man was of a height with Ed, his nose was much larger, and his shoulders far wider across. Thick cords of muscle wrapped his arms, which were covered in scars. Obviously this gentleman had been through some rough experiences before finding himself this, a respectable and legal profession. The noble art of street cleaning was not to be sniffed at. Much like Nose's breath.

Ed turns his attention away from Nose, who while warning Ed about the dangerous quality of the street by informing him how many accidents there had been in these parts but also throwing the tired, overused slur of "Baldy", towards the other who was apparently named Burt. Honestly, why people thought being bald was something to sneer at was beyond him. There were plenty of bald and shaven headed people in the world, yet recently people seemed to think it was the only trait worth commenting on. From the stubble atop Burt's head, Ed could see that he was another like minded individual. Shaving one's head was the best way to keep cool, avoid lice and attract sexual partners.

"As I was saying, gentlemen" Ed sighs, exasperated, as his companion pushes her way in and starts rambling. Brother? Was the girl having some kind of fit? Did she truly not remember who he was? It was just his luck to have stumbled across an addled street urchin. Taking her in had been meant to improve his crew, but now it seemed like it had been an act of charity upon his part! He would need to hire on a nanny for her. Was she even truly a mage? Oh, so many questions to answer, and now the girl was muttering slurs about the appearance of these working fellows. She had obviously never been taught not to judge books by their covers! He would take this girl under his wing and see to it that she received a proper education!

"Hush, girl. I need to speak with these men." Ed says, turning his attention back to the one named Burt.

Burt looked to be a man getting on in years. A hard life was written clearly across his features. A scar upon his cheek, stubble along his jaw, a nose that had obviously been broken multiple times. He was just as thick across the shoulders as Nose, but a couple of inches shorter, making him look far bulkier. A number of tattoos on his arms gave him some character, and looking into his eyes, Ed could see the man was intelligent. Whether it was book smarts or street smarts didn't matter, this was obvious the brains of the pair. Perhaps the supervisor of the whole street cleaning crew! He would definitely be the one to negotiate with. Ed reaches out to attempt to take the man's hand, to slip the coins into it from his own.

The knife was in Burt's hand without a second thought. You acted fast around here, or you didn't wake up the next day to act at all. He had been keeping track of the conversation fairly well. The attractive man with the wonderful hairstyle and beard was a complete idiot, and the small girl with all the scars was trying to keep him out of trouble. But for them to be around here, and for her to be so obviously alarmed. There was something fishy going on. It would be better to need to dispose of two bodies than to take a risk by letting them continue on their way. From the looks of things, these two wouldn't be missed.

Her face reddened.  Did he just tell her to hush?! Did he have any idea how rude he was being? 

She would have to teach him how to be civil and how to not talk to strangers. Was he four? Most four year old children knew this. It's rather simple!


She ran her fingers through her hair, her face falling into an irritated grimace. This was her ticket out. This man. And here they were, talking to two very dangerous guards and just hoping they felt a bit more merciful then they looked.

She tried to usher him out one last time. 

"Father is sick and you're standing here chatting up some very busy people. I'm sure they have work to do. So why don't we hurry back and deliver the medicine from the doctor's."
She turned to the man in front of them. 
"I'm terribly sorry. He gets lost easily. Might be a little bit different in the head. Doesn't know when to-"


A split second later, she saw the glint of the knife in his hands. She rolled her eyes and let loose a heavy sigh.

"Fuck it." 

Her breath grew cold as she stretched out her hand and sent an icy fog. It curled around the first guard's ankle, freezing it in place. She missed most the spell, and it would only buy them a couple seconds, but she would take it over a knife to her gut.

- - - 

Nose's eyes grew wide as the girl revealed herself to be a mage. His guard was too low. He had failed Burt. 
"Burt!" He howled, rushing forward. He slid his hand across the broomstick and popped the head of the broom off, revealing a metal tip. A spear. 

Those two probably had more tricks up their sleeve; he would need to be careful! The distance started to close between him and the two troublemakers. He would spear the mage through the ribs and then interrogate the other before snapping his neck. 
He had to protect the warehouse, himself, and Burt. Hell be released on his shoulders if anything happened to Burt. 

- - - 

Kamri spun around, taking the few precious seconds she had. She grabbed both of the sailor's shoulders tightly and turned him towards her. 

"Okay decide right now. Are we running or fighting? Which can you do better?"  
Panic edged in her voice. This was stupid. Stupid, stupid! Why did she come? Why did he drag her into this?
She turned to see the other guard approaching. The ice was already melting around the other one's ankle. As soon as he was free it was run or fight for your life. 

She could almost feel the footsteps of the angrier one approaching, thumping heavily behind her. 
She turned and sent another siege of frost, but it missed. She sent another, and A final one that clipped him and tripped him up slightly but not by nearly enough. 

Everything happened fast, people moving and shouting around him. Between one breath and the next, Ed drew upon a small bit of magic to make himself more agile, better able to comprehend everything going on around him. Here he had been, trying to have a pleasant conversation, grease the wheels with a little silver to make this man's tongue loose. Now the man had a knife, well to call it a knife was an understatement, the man had some kind of short sword masquerading as a dagger in his meaty fist. A fist that was drawing back as if to strike at Ed. The girl was somewhere throwing around magic, good so she was actually a mage then, but attacking the other man with it. His eyes flicked in that direction in time to see the man's broom transforming into a spear. A neat trick, that. With his mind moving faster, Ed had time to ponder the idea of something similar, a sword within a cane perhaps. Or a parasol. Speaking of swords, though, perhaps it was time to draw his own and follow a previous captain's expert advice: Stick the pointy end in the other guy.

Ed's hand closed around emptiness, a place where his stomach dropped into as he remembered giving the sword to Peabody. True, Peabody knew how to use it and Ed was less able, but in a knife fight it would have been nice to have a little extra reach. At least his spell was holding, giving him an edge. He could practically prance over there with his own slender dagger and have the fiend at his mercy. It would take but a moment, and then he and the girl would make short work of the spearbroom wielding ruffian. Or at least, that would have been the plan, had the girl not chosen that moment to lay hands on him, spinning him around and breaking the small bit of concentration he found he needed to focus on maintaining that particular spell. Time sped up around him in time for him to understand the panic in the girl's voice as she questioned his intent. There was really only one way to deal with the situation, and that was to flee with all good haste. But that would call for him to slow these two down long enough for him and the girl to escape.

"We will of course fight! These two swine are unskilled louts! We will make short work of them, won't we?" He projects his voice theatrically, his intent to intimidate their opponents. Battles were fought first with the mind, and if he could make them doubt for even a second then they had already won. He tipped a wink to the girl to let her in on the plan, unfortunately not realising the gesture was hidden behind the eye patch he was wearing.

Time to fight, and he would need to make every movement count. Years of training he had mainly avoided, and battles he had directed his own men in had prepared him for this. To his left was the spear wielding, large nosed one. Ed still had the coins in his hand, and an idea formed. Thrusting out his hand, he made the gesture to throw them towards him, and with a push with his mind he shot them at the man, powered with bursts of telekinesis. Pay no attention towards him any more, his distraction was made and there was a more pressing matter ahead of him, Ed slipped his hand into his pocket and back out again quickly. Knuckle dusters firmly in place, he swung his fist at the man named Burt, drawing again on his magic to lend him strength for the blow. His fist hit it's mark, and then the magic activated after the impact.

Burt had no idea what was going on. Magic was flying, people were screaming, and his instincts were kicking in hard. They were mages, the pair of them. Mages, in this part of town, right outside the boss' headquarters. This was no longer a chance encounter. They were here for a reason, and he was the first line of defense. Fighting mages wasn't a task he would have chosen, but he had some tricks. The broom dropped from his hand, and he focused his attention solely on the man. He was bigger, but that didn't mean anything when it came to mages. But he was closer, well within striking distance. Burt's companion was struck with ice, the same ice that had caught his own leg moments before, and then he noticed some shining objects shooting out of the lead mage's hand. They weren't aimed at him, which would be the man's last mistake.

Before he could gut the mage, the idiot was swinging a fist at him. Power over the elements and the man chose his own hands. There would be a trick there, and Burt felt his body tensing for the impact, imagining the horror that was about to be unleashed upon his mortal frame. The wind was knocked out of him, almost completely, but the strike didn't have much heft behind it. Was this man truly a mage? Didn't bear thinking about. The man was dead now. Forgetting the knife momentarily, Burt instead strikes out with a punch of his own, lifting the man off his feet and sending him flying backwards.

She moved just a bit too slow. As a result, the Captain went flying above her; high into the air. She felt the back of his heel brush the top of her head.
She watched him rise up, and then fall. She winced as he went. She turned back, readying another attack but was cut off by a large hand grabbing her face


"Dumb Oaf." Nose grumbled.

Kamri was picked up and tossed to the side, slamming into the wall of a nearby home before falling to the ground. 

She tried to stand up but was kicked back down by Nose, sputtering. 

“Should have stayed home.”

Nose raised his fist into the air, ready to deliver a killing blow. 

Kamri coughed weakly as she placed her palms on the ground, muttering something under her breath. Mud shot from her fingertips and caked the street. 

Nose yelled out as he slipped, no longer able to keep his balance and went tumbling to the ground next to her. Kamri wiped the mud from her face.

"Fighting wasn't exactly my first choice, Cap." She rose, hair caked with mud. She pushed off the wall and slid onto the dry portion of the street.


Spells, spells. What other spells did she have? 

Nose began to rise. He looked over to Burt and snorted. He was okay. Still fighting. He never stayed down for long.

He wiped the blood from his face and stood back up, facing the girl.

"Yer good. But yer also dead." He lunged forward and tried to grab Kamri again. She danced just out of his reach, feeling his thumb brush up against her ear. 

Hey. Beardy! Are you still alive?" She called. 

Kamri danced just out of reach of another attack, this time hitting him in the face with a mud ball. 

—

The girl kept moving just out of his reach. What was with her? She was a mage! Why was she so agile? Ranged combat was where they excelled. Was it a spell, perhaps? Either way, he needed her to stay still. He got hit in the mouth, mud streaming down his face. He scraped it off and back to the street. He growled, annoyed at how poorly this fight was doing. 

Finally, he caught onto some strands of hair and yanked her towards him. 

She reacted quickly, grabbing his arm to keep from sliding and bit his as hard as she could. He let go, grunting as he pushed her off. 

Maybe this target would be too difficult right now. He needed Burt’s help. Or maybe the other guy wouldn’t be so difficult. Besides if she was intent on protecting him, she would tire herself out too, right? 

“Burt, Yer still standin’ ain’t cha? What do ya say ‘bout takin’ one of them out?” 

—

Kamri paled. No, no that was bad. 

They had to run. Cap had to have the common since to run. He had to! 

But then again, common since wasn’t his strong suit. 

One second he was standing, cursing his dumb luck. He was just too fast for magic to keep up, it seemed. The next second he was lying on his back in the street, a chunk of time missing. His head was ringing, he was seeing stars and his entire face was one large mass of pain. What the hell had he been drinking? Then, a flashback of a fist coming at him. Ah. He needed a moment, just a second to gather himself. Perhaps a nap would get his head sorted. Where was a healer when you needed one, anyway? Was the girl a healer? The girl. The girl who right now, while he was lying down and feeling sorry for himself, was being attacked by two men. Two men who could be doing anything to her. With a groan and a lot of effort, he managed to force himself into a sitting position. While swaying gently, he took in the scene once more, orienting himself as his thoughts moved sluggishly. He needed a plan. A better plan this time. The last one didn't seem to be working.

The girl was there, looking a little worse for wear and being hounded by the one with the Nose. Burt was approaching him, most likely to finish the job he had started. This could be a lot worse, he had to admit. All sorts of things could be going wrong. As it was, he and the girl were just severely out muscled and outmatched. But they had their wits! Brains would trump brawn! If only he could convince the world to stop it's gentle movements that were disorienting him so much.

"Hold on, just one moment, good sir." Ed managed, with minimum slurring, while holding up a hand. Hopefully this Burt fellow would be willing to talk, now.

Mud began flying through the air, covering everything, including the two brutes quite thoroughly. Well then. Maybe they wouldn't be talking their way out of this then. As luck would have it, though, this situation might finally be sliding back into Ed's control. A smile touched his lips, a smile that hurt incredibly and lasted only as long as it took to hurt him enough to cry out. Okay, so no smiling. If his head was a little clearer, then this would no longer be a contest. As it was, he would need to be fast and retake the element of surprise.

Burt heaved a sigh, weary to the bottom of his soul as he became caked in mud from head to toe. This was getting ridiculous now. For just a split second he had been taking these two seriously, but as time went by it was becoming more and more obvious that these two had no idea what they were doing. There was no cohesion, they were not acting together in any way. There was no sense, either. What was the point to this? He was now angry, dirty, and ready to crack a couple of skulls. Looking over at his own companion, also covered in muck, he could see that this was going to be over soon. These two were playing with magic, not wielding it. Were they a couple of students out on the town, messing around and trying to have some fun? Well, unlucky for them they chose the wrong part of town.

Taking a step towards the man, knife ready this time to put a stop to this insanity, Burt paused. The man was stripping down, slipping off his coat and throwing it to one side. This was quickly followed by his shirt, and boots. He shouldn't have given the fool the time to do all this, but the sheer madness was enough to stop him in his tracks. Was he about to have to kill a man who was stripping in the face of imminent death? Was the man hoping that if he was naked, he would be shown some mercy? Too late for that.

Stripped down to his pants alone, Ed dropped into a squat and quickly began to slather himself with the mud. It was the perfect consistency. Nice and slippery. As his thoughts began to sluggishly regain their former speed and cohesion, images came to mind. The mud, the wrestling, the tentacles. Good times. A favorite place. Skills learned, pleasures shared. Who would have thought that it would have prepared him to save his life, as well as that of his simple ward.

Stepping confidently through the mud, Ed approaches his opponent. He has to trust the girl will be able to stay safe for a while longer, she had been doing a great job so far so it wasn't a stretch to believe she could do it. He had left his dagger in his coat, as well as his throwing knives. All he had was his knuckle dusters and an iron will to survive this.

Burt raises his blade into a knife fighter's stance and lashes out. The near naked man, mud smothering his wiry frame, was no longer where he had been. A quick movement had him inside Burt's guard. That was fine. Dropping the knife in favor of getting a two handed grasp on the fool, he realised too late what the man's plan was. They were both covered in mud, and the man slipped out of his grasp and around behind him. Burt tried keeping up, grabbing desperately, but the man was like an eel. He just couldn't gain purchase. He could feel blows landing against his sides and face as the slippery bastard lashed out at him between the slipping and sliding. In a last ditch effort he tried calling for help, but a blow that was much more powerful than any of the others connected with the side of his head and suddenly everything went black.

Nose couldn't believe his eyes. A moment ago the bald man had been shot across the street by one of Burt's impressive punches. Nothing could measure up! Yet the man he had punched was now standing. and even more so, he was taking off all of his clothes!
Nose grew angry.
He wouldn't let him seduce Burt! What a low blow! To try and cater to the private feelings of someone else for an advantage! Nose would have none of that!

"What do ya think yer doin'?!" He bellowed, turning around and leaving Kamri in the mud. 
"I'll show you where that kind of behavior will get you!"
He stomped forward with malicious intent. He would rip the face of that one, he would!
He tried to hurry when he noticed just now much trouble Burt was facing, but only ended up slipping. Damn mud…
With a final blow, Burt had fallen, apparently losing consciousness. 
"You scum!" He reached forward, beefy hands poised to clasp around the captain's face. His teeth clenched as he imagined squeezing his skull and shattering the bone. 
Truly, he would pay!
He tilted forward, closing in for the attack! 

Something tugged on his ankle. 

Looking down, a small vine crept up his ankle and was rapidly growing up his leg. He looked back, seeing the mage girl sprawled out in the mud, fingers dug down into the sludge. 

—

Kamri noticed the sudden shift in her opponent's gaze. Was this her chance to run?
She followed his eyes and landed on her captain, who stood half naked and caked in mud. 
God. Today was such a bad day. 

"What do ya think yer doin'?!"
The burly guard turned and started to stomp off towards the two, leaving her on the ground. She tried to watch what was going on but every time she moved her eyes it seemed the world would tilt. Maybe she hit that wall a bit harder than she initially thought. 
She saw the other guard go down. She had to admit, it was impressive. Still, they were rather beat up and her opponent was still in fighting shape. She had to think fast. 
She thought about another ice bolt but her aim was terrible as it was. From this range she could easily shoot Ed. She needed something else. 
In the corner of her eye, she spotted something green.

Moss was growing between the cobblestones. Small weeds sprouted from one of the larger cracks. 
She pushed her shoulders up and back before thrusting her hands into the mud, searching through the stone crevices to find some sort of weed or plant. 
Her fingertips brushed up against a small vine. That would do. 
She felt the energy pulse from her chest and through her arms, sending it through and into the ground. 
She spotted bits of green and brown sprout up from the mud, pushing towards the sky. She had maybe two seconds left before Nose got to her ally. 
The street became alive with growth. She felt some of the vines latch onto her legs and curl up her waist and stomach. However, despite the drawback, she managed to reach her goal. 
Small roots and vines swirled around the guard's ankle and then started to climb up his calf. He looked back, shock entering his eyes for just a second before his gaze set on Kamri. His fear turned to spite and hate.
His jaw set, he looked one final time at the bald twat before the vines reached his neck. 
"You're alive now. But just you wait." 

The vines enclosed around his entire body, leaving him disabled. A few had curled around Cap's feet as well but Kamri was able to stop most of the plant life from spreading that far. 
She was relived they here alive. Surprised, too. She sat up, unable to currently stand. 
After everything that had just happened, a single, unnerving question lingered in the air. 

"Why are you half naked?"