Part I: The Raven | Chapter 1: Eastport Happenings

"Of course! I saw her with my own eye!" the bartender spattered. He was a burly looking man with a missing eye and a sleeveless T-shirt, and all that accompanies those retired sailor types. Tattoos and a thick eastern accent included. "A blondie, she was! The other night, I was closing down the bar. The moment I looked out the doorway as I was heading back home for the evening, she was there, covered in some torn black cloth. At first I didn't pay much attention, right? 'Probably some hobo who needed money', I thought. Damn wrong I was! The moment I turned my back to lock the door, she was right there too, and she kicks me out of my own bloody shop, and slams the door on me!" He visibly gets angry. "When I got up and went back in... she was gone, along with all my most expensive bottles of gilly rum!"

I tried to look as if the story had captivated me, even though this was probably another dead end. Either this guy was just spinning a yarn for what he thought was some kid who didn't know any better, or he was just robbed by some tramp girls who looked alike. Either way, this didn't feel like it was going any where.

"Well, thanks Ed," I said to him, shifting in my seat, "but I've got no idea how the hell this is meant to help me in my investigation. For all I know you didn't serve booze just for your customers that night."

"Pfah! Of course you don't believe me, you all never do!" he yells, turning his head towards the rest of the customers in the bar, as if he were addressing a crowd. "Until I show them this..." he pulls out a knife, and plants it on the bar's wooden counter. "She dropped her trusty little knife. Now what do you say now, boy? Truth or fiction?" his expression turned to that of a toothy grin as he leaned on the counter.

"That surely... changes things." I pulled out the knife, not without a good amount of effort, and began examining it. It had an engravement on the bottom of its hilt: 'NR'. "Any idea as to her whereabouts?"

"And why the hell would you want to do find her? You looking to get robbed yourself?" he leaned back again, crossing his arms. "I'm not the first bartender to get robbed. The only one she hasn't robbed yet is good old Charles on the other side of town. Maybe that's where she'll strike next."

I thanked Eddy, gave him a tip for his info, and started walking back home. 'A blondie', eh? Teleporting behind people's backs, agile as all hell... Maybe she is who I'm searching for. But what would a familiar face like hers be doing here?

In any case, I certainly won't be tracking her down alone, not in this god-forsaken port town at least. Using any kind of powers here would get my ass kicked out if I were to summon even the smallest of sparks. I had to find myself some band of idiots dumb enough to wrestle her down after baiting her into some kind of trap.

I finally arrived at my dingy little home. I proceeded to tire myself by mentally keeping a candle lit for as long as I could, until I fell asleep. The dreams came again. The invasion. The mission. The incident. The Manticore. The subsequent exile into those man-sized cave systems. All playing out like a neat little theater play. And yet... it felt so real. Casey's look of regret as he looked back at us one last time before taking the bomb with him. Not to mention Victoria's last battle cry against the Manticore, until utter silence as I ran and ran, never to glance behind me. Only for it to all go black once I arrive here. Perhaps that day truly changed me, as if I lost a part of myself in those dark and twisting tunnels. That is why I need to find this girl at once. She might be the only thing I have left from my past.

I woke up the next morning, and went through my normal routine. As I was working in the dockyards, I overheard some of my co-workers talking about this 'Girl in Black'. I knew these guys were more rational and weren't really from around here, so I approched them and asked about it.

"What do you guys think about that whole 'Girl in Black' situation?"

"Well, me and George here were thinking about... well, you know. Giving here a taste of her own medicine, try to track her down and capture her. We reckon the mayor might give us a good sum of money for finding her."

"How much?"

"About 2000 credits."

He wasn't kidding when he meant a good sum. It would probably be enough for me to buy an actual home on the river. But... if this girl was really who I thought she was, there was no way I could let them take her. And if they realised that I was connected to her in some way, I'd be done for too.

"Mind I tag along with you guys? I think I know where she might strike next..."