Soot and Ash 2

In the village multiple people were scattering into the woods with what little belongings they could carry.

The island was small and fishing was one of the only sources of income and trade for most people. And viable monetary currencies like Namoan Ruins , Riman Sliver or Sey Gold were few and far between among locals. Lifestyle here was if you couldn't get it yourself or make it yourself. Trade for it.

Strangely instead of running out the village a young boy was seen running into it. His face,body and hair were covered in soot.

The clap of his sandals against his soles rang out for a few minutes until his feet came to a screeching halt. He turned to face a fish monger's stall with a small home attached behind i . He ran up the steps of the stall and behind the counter.

Everything was cleared out which was a good sign. He ran inside and there were two people frantically packing up anything of Value. Mel was still wearing her blue trousers and white shirt. However it was now covered in blood , oils and other fluids.

Next to her packing up three bags was an older man. His short curls was completely grey and he had a sort of dopey looking face. His eyes as blue as the sea's shimmered but dimmed as much at frequent intervals. The light would rise and fall in his eyes like the tide.

He wore a slightly baggy shirt and short shorts like the ones Davie had on. His back was hunched slightly. His posture had been completely altered from an life of bending over a counter. He was unable to fix it as it was already irreparable. His hands lightly shook as if the muscles required for hand stability were starting to decay. But still he packed the clothes in as fast as his hands could move them. If one disregarded his overall age and appearance right now it was easy to tell that he was incredibly handsome when he was younger.

Davie looked at him and shouted.

" Pops there are pirates on the island we have to get out if here!"

The old man raised his eyebrows and looked towards the boy and continued packing. Davie impatiently moved toward the old man and started to help him. He grumbled about the futility of packing all these things as they wouldn't be able to carry it all.

The girl looked at their backs and saw their farther's younger figure shadowing Davie. She smiled at the sight. She had just finished packing.She proceeded to open the door to get speed up their getaway.

Infront of her stood a fair skinned man. He wore black trousers a white shirt and pirate boots. Strapped to his chest was three pistols and his head was a black fur fedora. His black eyes looked demonic and one of them was lazy. She couldn't tell if he was looking at her or the person just behind her , Davie. He had a mustache which was a white grey at the tips and the rest was black.

He gently tipped his fedora revealing his black locks which fell down over his face. He whipped his hair back and skillfully placed it back under the fedora. He was incredibly handsome if you overlooked his eyes and he even carried the aura of a gentleman.

" Hello , Good evening. I seem to have disturbed you timely escape. You seem like generous people so if you answer me correctly. I will spare you all but for every wrong answer someone dies. Ok?"

Mel slowly backed away from the man. The man saw this and did not stop her. She then turned and ran behind Davie. Unexpectedly nothing happened to her the man stood there patiently with a smile.

Davie's Father nodded at the man's request. The man then clasped his hands together and made a loud clap which startled Mel. Davie felt his spine tingle but tried his best to seem unaffected. The old man just raised his eyebrows and waited for the young man infront of him to continue his interrogation.

" Ok My first question is what are your names?"

The old man replied. " Jones , The girl is Mel and the boy is Davie "

The man nodded. " Thank you for your answer. My name is Marshall but my close friends call me Thache"

The old man nodded again and Marshall continued.

" Do you have anything of Value in your home?"

The old man calmly walked towards his bed. He slowly got on his knees and dragged a chest from under his bed. Thache looked around the room. It was relatively small and there were two beds a small bathroom and a desk. He nodded politely at their poverty. The old man held out the chest to Thache who smiled.

" Open it. " the old man hesitated for a second before reaching into his pocket and using a small key. The locking mechanism made a loud audible click. Jones hesitated for a few seconds before opening it.

Inside the chest was nothing but a unlit match stick attached to a pulley system. Inside the box was filled to the brim with gunpowder. It was pretty easy to guess what would happen if you opened it without the key.

Davie looked at his old man who for the first time in a while showed some genuine emotions. Fear. Marshall smiled at his efforts.

" Nice try Mr. Jones. Next time don't be so keen to hand off your life savings to a stranger without a hassle. Im not as blinded by greed as many people think. You almost blew the whole house up. Then again I can see it, your eyes , they show you wouldn't have any regrets even if you did. But those two behind you. They stopped you from going out like a hero. "

Marshall patted the old man on the shoulder. His rough hand gripped tightly onto his frail shoulder.

" Now old man , I feel I must do you a favor for displaying such a courageous attitude and to ease the burden on your heart I shall remove one of the problems from the equation"

The old man for the first time looked up at the Mans crazy eyes in shock. As quick as the wind he felt the opposite shoulder hold a small weight. He glanced at the mans chest. A gun was now missing from its holster and Marshall was now using his shoulder as a buffer to hold the gun.

" Since you were very compliant before. Ill let you choose which one of your burdens go. Also be sure to choose one or else I'll double my kindness.You have 3 seconds"

The old man clenched his wrinkled hands into a fist.

"1"

He started trembling and the hand on his shoulder began to squeeze tighter keeping him in place.

"2"

His old lips trembled unable to decide which words to choose. Ultimately he came to a decision.

" Davie"

"3"

BANG! A body dropped to the ground.