"M-my mum left me," she whimpered, voice cracking just enough to sound real. "I don't know where I am..."
Revan watched from the shadows, smirking. Damn, he thought, after all these years, she just keeps getting better.
Revan knew he had to separate one from the group. That was always the trick—get them alone.
Cassie would lead the sailors down the street, crying and babbling about her missing mother, steering them just far enough to break their formation. Meanwhile, Revan let his lazy, good-for-nothing shadow get to work.
It slithered from torchlight to torchlight, flickering unnaturally, stretching too long, too dark.
One of the sailors squinted. "I must be seein'—" he started, then stopped.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught it—just a flicker of darkness where there should have been light. A cold chill ran up his spine.
He slowed, stumbling away from the others, drawn by that brief unnatural flicker.
That's all Revan needed.
Silently, he led the man toward a nearby alley. Revan was already there, crouched in the shadows, dagger drawn. He didn't want blood—just the pouch hanging heavy on the sailor's sash
As the sailor stumbled into the alley, still mumbling about shadows and ale, Revan ghosted in behind him.
"Must've been my imagination…" the man muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Revan didn't wait. With one practiced, fluid movement, he drew his dagger and sliced the pouch clean from the sailor's sash.
But just as the leather bag dropped into his palm—
A fist came full circle.
Revan barely registered the movement before it collided with his face, hard.
Crack.
White-hot pain burst across his nose. He reeled backward, staggering against the wall as the pouch hit the cobblestones with a dull thud.
Just as he hit the cobblestones, the sailor was on him.
"You think you can steal from me, you little shit?" the sailor growled, grabbing Revan by the shoulders.
Revan smelled the rank breath and felt its hot, sour heat on his bloody face.
Acting quickly, Revan summoned his shadow, warping it around him like a living armor.
With lightning speed Raven brought up the dagger stabbing the sailor in the forearm
A pained yelp escaped the sailors mouth and he dropped him. Revan grabbed the dropped pouch and bolted down the alley into the street. No time to worry about Cassie—she knew what she was doing. It was the same routine as always. She'd be okay.
Just as Revan rounded the corner out of the alley, he slammed into something hard—very hard.
Even with his shadow wrapped around him like a protective shield, the impact felt like hitting solid steel.
He stumbled back, dazed, and looked up.
A man stood there, clad in light black leather armor. A hood was drawn low over his face, and his eyes—glassy, but alert—stared straight through Revan.
Before he could react, Revan's backside hit the cobblestones again.
He opened his mouth to protest, but a hand shot out with lightning speed—
And everything went dark.