Rise of a Highwayman

The cave was dark, and echoed every sound that was made within it. The only light was the torch that was carried by the man in the black cloak. Kneeling near the wall of the cave, he plunged the torch in to the wet sand and lowered his hood. The long braid of hair fell over Fintan's shoulder as the hood folded back. Very carefully, he pushed the sand infront of him away. It revealed a wooden coffin that had a large hole in it's lid. Upon pulling it out of the sand he opened the lid and looked at the contents it bore.

Within the coffin was a set of very expensive looking clothes. A bright emerald doublet that was made of velvet. Silver knot work trimmed the skirt of the tight fitting jacket, along with the cuffs. It was fastened by silver toggles down the center of the left chest. Under it was a plain white shirt made of linen that had a frilly lace collar and cuffs. Folded at the foot of the coffin was a pair of breeches made of the same velvet that the doublet was made of. It was the outfit of a gentleman, but that is not who was donning it this night.

"Mr. Fintan ...sir...are you here?" A voice came from the outside of the cave. It was the voice of a young boy, maybe in his late teens.

"I'm here, come in Arires..." he had already put on the breeches and shirt, and was now working on the doublet. He saw the lad come in and gave a half smile. Arires was dressed in a flimsy leather armor with a bronze sword on his side. There really wasn't anything special about the lad's appearance either. Dull brown hair that was very short compared to the styles Rogue was use to, and dull hazel eyes. Every few steps he made in towards the light of the torch he would trip on his own two feet. It could lead someone to wonder why the graceful, for more than one reason, soldier had asked him to his living space.

"Load those pistols if you would please Arires, while I finish getting ready..." Fintan was fluffy the lace on his cuffs out of the doublet cuffs. Arires looked around the cave, but just tilted his head at Rogue. The use of firearms had not yet come to the Westlands. "What are pistols and how do you load them?" the boy asked with a confused look on his face.

"Oh...I forgot that this country was too narrow minded to accept firearms." he stated bluntly as he walked over and pulled two silver flintlocks out of the coffin. He then pulled a powder horn, patch, and ball, out of a pouch. "You take this." he handed the boy the pistol. "And measure out thirty grains of powder." he held up the horn and with a small measuring tool he measured out thirty grains "Then pour it in to the barrel." he poured it in. "Then you take the ball, and a patch. Wad the ball up in the pouch and push it in to the barrel." he did so to show him how. "Then ram it home, and make sure that the is firmly against the powder...other wise it will kill me when I fire it." he pushed the ball in with the ramrod. "Then, you prime the pan with powder..." he primed the pan, and closed the frizzen over it. "Pull the flint back two clicks to half cock." he pulled it back until it clicked twice. "And it's loaded....now, you try the other one. Ask if you need to."

Arires nodded as he watched Fintan ready his pistol. He wanted to ask what it did, but was too astounded by the odd shape to do so. While he fumbled with the powder horn, Fintan was looking at the mask in his hand. His entire life he had uphold law and order, he ordered the executions of men who did what he was about to do. He saw them swing from the gallows. But he was telling himself he was different. He was not robbing out of malice, nor greed. One of the heists he would perform tonight was to get back what was wrongly stolen from his new companion. The second would be to both return an excess amount of gold, and keep what was not an excess. He put the mask to his face and tied it behind his head before picking up a plumed cavalier hat and putting it on his head. He glanced in to the water that was pooled near the center of the cave. He looked the part, but could he back it up now?

"I have it done...I think Mr. Fintan..." Arires walked over and handed him the pistol with a egger smile to see if he had done it correctly.

"Silver Rose..." he said softly as he pulled his velvet cape around his left side and tied it. He took the pistol from the boy and slid it in to his belt on his right side. His other was beside his rapier on his left side. "Well done...thank you..." he started towards the mouth of the cave. "Stay here Arires...I'll return in the morning for you. If anyone finds you and asks why you are here.....lie." He vanished in to the dark night.


The hooves of the black Clydesdale kicked up huge clumps of dirt as he rode her towards Eroyna. Along the path he had to move to the side to avoid a woman with pure white hair held in a braid and a ...he assumed it was a man who was on her arm.

"Watch where your going you idiot!" the woman screamed at him, a blast of fire narrowly missing his head. The horse let out a neigh of anger and aggression towards her as Rogue spun it around and stopped. The walking beats of the horse were like that of shields hitting each other as the massive horse was walked towards the pair. "Hina dear..." the man whispered. "I don't think this is someone to make threats towards...." he looked at Fintan with a aura of fear.

Before Hina could speak up, Fintan cut her off. His voice was altered slightly, giving him a more D'Haran accent rather than Irish. "Hina Nani I presume? I believe you have something I want..." he pulled a pistol and aimed at her. "Step up and deliver any gold or valuables....and you stay out of this." he snapped at the young man. The man didn't even try to stop Rogue, he took off running.

Hina swore at her ex-escort. "Coward." She turned back to Fintan. "Why should I give you anything?"

"Because if you don't...you die. It's really quite simple." He stated bluntly, his eyes glittering behind the mask.

"Oh really? We shall seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" she leaped at Rogue, despite how much higher up he was due to the horse. The pistol was fired, and had Hina stayed on course it would have claimed her life. As luck would have it, she moved just slightly to the left, causing a deep graze on her right cheek. She fell to the ground screaming and shrieking in pain. The horse just looked at her with a tilted head. The look on it's face seemed to say 'what a drama queen' and if it could speak it may very well say that.

"That was hardly a graze woman...my gods are you always this.... melodramatic. I almost feel guilty for this now..." he dismounted, yanked a pouch of gold off of her and swung back up on to his horse. "And here is something to remember me by." he said with a smirk as he tossed a silver rose to her. With that, he spun his horse around and galloped off in to the dark night. As Hina rose from the ground, licking the blood off her finger from where she had been holding her face, she smiled darkly. "Oh...I won't forget you highwayman." shadows wrapped around the vampriess and she vanished. One heist was done, there was still one more to do, but it would wait until tomorrow night. For now his work was done, and he was headed back to the sea cave. A wave of guilt swept over him. He had always been a law abiding person, but now he was an outlaw in his own homeland for remaining loyal, and now he had robbed with violence - punishable by the gallows. What was worse was he did not know if his luck had run out or not, would he survive them a second time?