A Murder Of Thieves- The Story of the Crows.

Act 2-Revenge

The Forest of the Crows, Two years after the heist.
"Well that sounds cool and all, but what happened after that?" A young voice said. "Well Jade, after that, your mother, uncle and I came back here. The Grandmaster chose us as successors to lead the clan, and he succumbed to his disease. " John replied. "Unfortunately he had the later stages of a disease called Carcinoma. It caused the cells in his body to multiply faster than he could have been able to take, weakening him substantially. "
"Carcinoma?" Jade said, somewhat fearfully. "Yes, but he masked it near flawlessly, no one knew he was sick until the end," Misty said, smiling. "We did what all grandmasters have done when they died, our traditional sendoff to the dead." "On that note, I'm going back outside." Jade said, mortified." John and Misty looked at each other, then grinned before Misty began her meditation. John, knowing that all too well, went back to the Nest to practice his acrobatics. The nest underwent extensive renovations to allow the Unholy Trio to keep their abilities in top form. After learning he was an Adept, John began to hone his ability to manipulate lightning intensely. He learned how to create shields that could withstand Misty's psychic bolts as well as Orion's gauntlet punches. This also enhanced his natural thieving ability as he learned to absorb light in a room and redirect it into a blast that took trees down. 
As he trained, one of the clans' new trainees ran into the room. "Grandmaster John!" He said breathlessly. "I bear news!" 
"Speak then." He answered, remaining focused on his training. 
"We've received a message from the town of shinehaven. Someone named Ariya seeks an audience with you, Grandmaster Orion and Grandmaster Misty."
"An audience with all three of us?" John said in surprise. "It sounds like it could be a trap." 
"Yes, sir." The trainee said. "Go bring them here, we will have to discuss this. " John said, a grave look on his face.  The trainee nodded and quickly ran off to find Misty and Orion. John began to swim in his thoughts, how did they know who they were? And what did this Ariya want with them?"
Let's find out, shall we?
The Fertíl War Room, Several Months ago.
Back in the kingdom of Fertíl, the generals met together.  Their war room was particularly active these days. Ever since those thieves stole a prized possession of the royal family, the kingdom had been under siege. They not only had to fight off the heretic Julius and his forces, but a lot of the territories the kingdom had assumed control of rallied around him and made their rule unstable. There was a lot of tension in the room and amongst the royal family. 
"Why have you called us together?!" General Bannock said, gruffly. "We have countless more battles to prepare for!"
 "We have news gentlemen." Another voice, one that was colder, more calculating answered. This was Ariya. "One of the Heretic's soldiers finally broke underneath our weight and answered a question long plaguing us." 
"Well, what was it?!" Bannock demanded of the young Ariya. His own son had been beaten out for the rank she had, and he was still rather bitter about it. "We know the location of the thieves who stole the document for Julius the Heretic." She replied.
A silence fell over the room. They had been searching for the clan that inadvertently upset the peace in their homeland for almost 2 years but had no luck. All they found were empty rumors in various places, but nothing concrete. The clan had taken a near-obsessive level of care in making sure they weren't found. All they knew was that they lived in a forest. So they dutifully searched every forest they knew of.  All the forests they searched came up totally empty. Countless others had been questioned but to no avail. They had almost given up hope.
Taking out a crudely drawn map, Ariya laid it on the table that the generals sat at. "The Crows reside in a forest, very far west of here. The fool couldn't remember exactly where it was, but it's believed to be far west of a small town." "But how have they stayed hidden for so long?" Bannock asked dryly. "Living in a forest only guarantees that they'll be in the presence of constant firewood." 
"Very true General Bannock, but tactically it puts then at a frightening advantage." This was another General, the elder stateswoman Ambrosia. "There's only one path into the place. And even then due to mudslides and earthquakes it can be near impossible to navigate it properly." 
"So what can we do?" Bannock asked. "Even our might can't stand up to what nature does." 
"I thought you might ask," Ariya answered. "Even though their forest is guarded by nature itself, there's a way to lure them out. Many years ago, the founding members of the clan aided a town near there, the town in exchange helps funnel valuables they've stolen through the towns near there, in exchange for some profits obviously."
"So if we attack the town…" Bannock began...
"The Crows will answer," Ariya concluded.
"Gather a small force, and head for the town of Shinehaven." The Queen ordered. "Oh, and Ariya?" She asked. "Yes, M'lady?"
"Stick to the rules of engagement." The queen said in a low voice.
The Shinehaven Inn…
"This more than likely is a trap, you know," Misty said apprehensively. 
"Yes, but how did she know we live near here? I have to know." John said.
In walked Ariya, flanked by two of her captains. "She seems aggressive," Orion commented dryly. “I 
hadn’t noticed,” John said back. Ariya, spotting the unholy trio made her way to the table. “My name is Ariya, I am a general in the kingdom of Fertil.” She said in a very business-like manner.” 
“I am John, and this is Orion, and Misty. We are the grandmasters of the crows. What business do you have with us?”
Ariya, slightly taken aback, hesitated a bit. She had expected thieves, not seasoned warriors. “Well, ordinarily I would order my men to kill you three for stealing from us. But due to orders, I have to abide by our rules of engagement.” She answered back coldly. “And one of those rules is rather simple. I am to ask for your surrender to avoid any further conflict.” 
Misty, subtly began to read her mind. Her powers had grown even stronger through the two years since their journey to fertil and she was able to play thief with her knowledge. But it was easy, almost to easy to delve into her psyche from the outside.
“Well, what do we have to gain through a cowardly act of surrender?” John asked. “I’m glad you asked,” Ariya answered. “We ordinarily simply won’t destroy all you hold dear and take all your valuables. But, in your clan’s case, I'm willing to offer not only your lives but handsome payment for your thieving and sabotage services.”
“So your queen wants us to be glorified spies for your army?” Orion asked. “Yes. Your entire clan will be under our protection, you'll have guaranteed food and other resources as well as access to our weapons and troops, as needed." Ariya answered.
"Even though we are grandmasters of the clan, we cannot make a decision like this lightly," Misty said coldly. "We shall give you our response tomorrow."
"Fine," Ariya said. As the trio got up to leave, Ariya ordered a drink from the bar. They stood outside in silent contemplation of the hand that their own actions had created for them. "We'll have to assemble everyone once we get back," Misty said To John. "Yeah." He replied, the trio walked to the outskirts of town, then in a flash, they seemingly disappeared. 
Back at the bar, Ariya ordered a drink, and one of her scouts sat beside her. "Any luck?" She asked, taking a slow sip of her wine. "Unfortunately, they teleported away before we could track the energy. " the scout said. "There is, however, some good news." Ariya nodded, and the scout continued with his assessment. "One of our scientists believes he calculated where they teleported to. He isn't totally sure, but apparently, he utilized a device to track energy dissipation and can get to within one hundred yards of their home."
Nodding,  Ariya set her wine down. "Good, have the troops ready in case they don't accept our terms. Do not attack until I give the order. "
The Forest of The Crows, Inside the meeting hall. 
"Well, we've certainly gotten ourselves into quite the mess. " Orion said matter of factly. "We don't know if they're aware of where we are and how we've stayed alive." 
"That's true," Misty replied. "I read her mind and it was almost too easy. It was like she was giving away knowledge about the forces she's in charge of. There's an army after our hides. The entire clan young ones and all could be at risk."
"Yeah. That much is true." "All we know is that we're hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned. We're going to have to do something about it." 
"John we're going to have to relocate, at least for now," Misty said, dread in her voice. "It may have to happen."
As Misty said that, Owl, the clan's librarian ran into the room.
"Grandmasters!" He shouted. "We've found something amazing!" 
"What is it Owl?" John asked.
"An ancient tunnel, in the back of the forest near an old road. It leads to the ocean." He shouted excitedly. "We've also found an island out there, it could be potentially a second base!"
As Owl said this, A plan began to form in John's mind. "I know that look John," Orion said. "You've got a plan. Now spill it."
"You'd be a correct old friend," John answered back. "I do, but it's rather bold. " Orion and Misty both looked at John silently, nodding for him to continue.
"Firstly, Owl, do we still have the escape pods ready?" John inquired. "Yes, Grandmaster." "Good. You're going to have to create one that can travel through water. Go now! Time is of the essence." Owl nodded silently and left the room.
"We're first going to have to move the young ones and their things to this potential second base. We can get our supplies there as well. That way no matter what happens they won't be at risk." John said grimly. "With them out of harm's way, we can aid the talons in pushing their forces back." 
"They're going to bring way more than we could ever hope to fight off," Misty replied gravely. 
"That's an obvious fact. Their defeat isn't our objective. All we would be doing is stalling them for all of our supplies to make it there. Then we can activate the self-destruction gems and escape in the wreckage. " John stated uneasily. Even a plan designed to stall came with plenty of risks. 
"That's very astute, but how will we escape?" Orion asked. Grinning, Misty reached into her pocket. "That's how. " John answered, as Misty pulled out a pink gem. "Wherever that gem is, Misty can get us there." 
"Even so, this plan will require all of our talents and resources to make it work. " Misty said matter of factly. "I'll go aid Owl in preparing the Pods, you and Orion go back to Shinehaven and answer Ariya." With a swish of her cloak, she walked away. John and Orion looked at each other, then silently prepared for the journey ahead. 
The Tunnel Entrance, outside the Crows Forest.
"Well, this certainly doesn't smell very good," Owl said to himself. Misty showed up seconds after he said this. "Hello Misty." He said as she arrived. "Need a hand?" She asked awkwardly.
"Yeah, can you get me underground?" He said coolly. "Stand back." She replied.
With that, she channeled her power and tore open a hole in the ancient asphalt street telekinetically. It was 10 feet across and allowed the ancient, once contained aroma to hit the air. "Ugh!" Owl said as he modified the pod to move properly through the old sewer. "Thankfully we won't have to be here very long." 
"Thank heavens for small mercies," Misty said while Owl was hard at work. She walked away from him for a moment, seeing old metal cars and bikes, things from long before she was born. Before her predecessors caused the Adept wars. Somehow these relics survived the bloodshed. A time she was thankful she didn't know. 
"Can you bring one or two of these over here? I'm going to turn them into more pods. We're going to need a regular train to carry all of our suppliers." With this statement, Owl summoned his team of geeks and freaks to build the pod train to move the clan to their future home. Misty telekinetically carried the future scrap metal to him, then, after careful consideration, called Owl to her. 
"There's a very good chance that we won't make it out of this skirmish alive, if the heavens decide it is my time, I wish not to have regrets." She said, before grabbing Owl and kissing his lips. She returned to the forest, ordering other clan members to gather all of their supplies, weapons, and food. "Load it all into the crates!" She said strictly. "We've not got much time." 
As the clan loaded supplies for their getaway, John and Orion met with the keeper of the talons, Karasu. He knew the situation at hand and was preparing a plan for the upcoming battle. "Karasu, the talons will have to be a distractor force in order for us to get the young ones out of harm's way." John began. "Now, we know there's only one way into the forest, so we'll have to have the Talons get the drop on as many of them as possible coming in." Pointing to a marked location on the map, John continued. "In front of where the treehouses are is where we'll try to force them to." 
"Why there John?" Orion asked. 
"Simple, it's got enough room for us to blind them with the flash bombs and activating the self destruct. That'll throw them into chaos as we get out of dodge using Misty's portal." John answered. 
"One question though Grandmaster," Karasu asked. "How many talons will need to be active for us to pull this off?"
"Nearly all of the old friend," John answered grimly. "They're going to be sending an army our way. We're not going to be able to fight them all off. This is just to buy us enough time to get everybody to safety." 
"I understand," Karasu said. "I'll make the needed preparations." 
"Thank you Karasu," Orion said. "John, let's go back to shinehaven. We've got a general to anger." "Lead the way, Orion. " John replied, grinning. 
The Shinehaven Inn.
Back in Shinehaven, Ariya waited at the bar. Her plot had been a failure. She had anticipated Misty would read enough of her mind to activate a psychic tracker. But she didn't. "Well that plan failed, how are we to find their forest?!" She mused over a stiff drink. As her frustration boiled, one of her foot soldiers approached her. "John and Orion are outside." He said as the two walked in. 
"Hello… Ariya was it?" John began. "Our clan has met, and we have decided to turn your offer down. We have our honor and we will not corrupt ourselves any longer by being servants of your queen."
As John said this, he and Orion walked away, "I will make it my personal mission to grind your bones into dust." She replied icily.
"You're welcome to try. We came from dust and we will return to dust one day, but not by your hand." Orion stated as the two left.
"We will find you." Ariya shot back. 
Fuming, she marched back to the other side of the town and knelt at the camp her and her troops had set up. As the fire burned, the image of her queen appeared amongst the dancing embers.
"They have refused us My liege," Ariya said in a voice of reverence. "I shall send the troops in,  in the meantime, search high and low for the clan's homestead. Leave not a stone unturned." The queen ordered.
Nodding her acceptance of the green's orders, the fire died. Taking the image of the queen with it. "You heard her prepare yourselves for battle!" She barked at the troops already there. They jumped to follow her order, as they all knew the penalty for disobedience was their heads.
Ariya walked back into the bar and made a very simple offer "WHOEVER GIVES ME THE LOCATION OF THE CROWS WILL HAVE ALL THEIR DRINKS PAID FOR BY ME!" The entire bar looked at each other, then back into their drinks. Shockingly, they remained silent. Then one of the drunks, an old man named Grady, spoke.
"The Crows have aided our small town for ages!" He said through slurred words and hiccups. "But… ungh… but, I can't tell you their exact location. All anyone knows is that they reside in a forest, several mi… miles that way." He said, pointing towards the door of the tavern as he fell. He got up, dusted himself off "now, I'll take my reward miss!" 
"Well, a deal is a deal. " Ariya said, she knocked the man out with a swift punch, then pulled out his wallet. As she handed it to the bartender, she said: "Take whatever amount his tab is, I've got organizing to do." 
The Forest of The Crows, 2 Days Later. 
Meanwhile, back in the forest, the crows had thankfully managed to get the young ones and their things out to their new base. Only the active thieves remained, as well as the talons. They'd heard reports that Ariya's army had gathered in the town, but couldn't access the path to their home thanks to mudslides. With the rain finally stopped and the roads cleared,  they knew their time was at hand. 
John, Orion, and Misty sat in the treehouse that they had called home since they were children. They silently reminisced as they waited on Ariya's arrival. All of them were on edge, they hadn't been able to sleep in ages. The silence seemed to speak to all three of them. It sent shivers up and down their spines as they waited for a call to arms. The Army had been seen yes but they didn't know how far way they were. The anticipation was like sitting in boiling water.
Misty sat on the floor meditating, utilizing her psychic powers to rest her comrades' minds as well as her own while remaining conscious. "Thank you, Misty," John said groggily. The psychic sleep session was just what all three of them needed. Their minds finally transitioned away from the coming battle and into dreamland. 
Miles away, one of the clan's alarms had been activated. It immediately self-destructed after detecting the Armies movement. Karasu, who sensed it. Readied the remaining talons with gusto. It wasn't the full complement as he would have preferred, but their strategy was to stall, not kill. He readied them for battle and set them in the standard formation.  Sniping talons remained in the trees as foot soldiers got to the floor of the forest. The foot soldier talons weren't his strongest creation, far from it. That behemoth was thankfully in their new home.
Misty, In assistance of the sniping talons, began to use her powers to scan the area. The army was approaching but still some ways away. "They're about 2 miles away. Why they're moving so slowly is beyond me." She shouted. 
"Got it." Orion answered, "I'll take the tank talons to the circle." He did just that, taking command of the slow, yet powerful tank talons and getting them into a defensive position. Eager to take up the line and push back the army. 
"I've got the last of the bombs set up. " John said, taking control of the footsoldier talons. These talons tended to be the most effective in waves. "Thanks for loading them up with the gems Karasu." 
"Think nothing of it young ones. I'll see you at our new home." He said, entering the escape tunnel vehicle.
With Karasu out of harm's way, the army marched quicker. Before long, they were standing at the edge of the forest. All of the lights in the treehouses went out. The forest was totally dark. Hostile in its darkness.
Ariya was handed a megaphone made of cheap plastic by one of the foot soldiers. "This is your last chance Crows if you surrender now you can still be standing tomorrow and remain as servants of the queen. There was silence for several moments, then a bird flew out from inside the forest. All eyes were on this peculiarly small bird as it took to the skies with the ferocity and vigor of a raptor. It saw Ariya, then quickly flew to her. Looking closely, she realized it held a small note in its beak. 
The note had a drawing of a middle finger on it.
"That's it. They die." Ariya said to herself. "Alright troops, Charge!" She yelled with conviction. Her troops ran into the forest. Running blindly into a dark forest was far from the best idea, however, their ferocity was nearly unmatched in battle. They took to the forest as talons came down from the trees. Ambushing them in squadrons of 3. The talons in the trees supported the swarmers, cutting down countless troops as the swarmers pushed the troops into the center of the forest. The tanks, the last line of defense activated took control. Containing them there until more came in. More troops fell but they began to gain ground. They were still fighting at a distinct disadvantage but now held several points to rally at.
One of the troops noticed that every time a talon, small or large was destroyed, its body seemingly dissolved into a pink gas. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he knew he'd seen that somewhere before. He put it from his mind as the talons fought on, ferociously tearing through the forces of Fertíl. Outside, Ariya sent in her finest troops, the immortals. They tore through even more of the talons, putting them in the center of the forest. The snipers kept clipping them, but the immortals weren't that easy to bring down.
"PUT THE HOOKS ON! CLIMB THE TREES!" Isaiah, Ariya's lieutenant shouted. They were going to climb up and exterminate them. Silently, John counted to 3, then pressed a button.
"BOOOM!" An ear-shattering, spine-tingling explosion brought all of the treehouses down onto the troops. Bringing centuries of thieving traditions and codes, memories made amongst the clan down upon their attackers. The Crow's final stand in their home was successful, but they could never go back to the forest at risk of an attack. So the forest was sacrificed for their new home. 
Ariya ran inside the forest to be with her troops and to get medics in. Somehow, amidst all the chaos, they'd gotten away. She had been insulted yet again. Then, a disembodied voice shouted at them. "Soldiers of Fertíl. You have done something we never thought possible. You forced us to sacrifice our home. We admire your tenacity and persistence, but we will destroy you." The voice said, for all to hear. "We will hunt you tirelessly!" Ariya shouted back in the air. "You will die by our hands!"
Alcatraz Island, the Pacific Ocean. 
Thanks to Misty's abilities, the unholy trio was already at the clan's new home. They gathered all of the clan in one of the cell blocks. "This place may not have the memories of our old home, but it will be where we make our stand.” John began. “The same people that killed Jordan attacked us. They cannot find this place. We’ll prepare for something our clan has never had to prepare for war.”The room grew deadly silent. The room grew tighter than over tuned guitar strings. “For now, we must make this place a true home for us, and ready the talons for more than just defense,” Orion added. Misty, who wasn’t normally for addressing the clan, spoke in front of them all. “It wasn’t enough that they took our friend and brother, they took our home. We gave them a year to set themselves in order, as our clan tenets call for if we were ever to be pushed this far. After that, however, no quarter will be granted.”
There were cheers from all around. The clan proving to be willing to rally around Jordan’s death and their forest home being taken from them. The Unholy trio stood as one, ready to lead their clan into battle. The others left the room, finding refuge in the cells and sleeping there for the time being.
The next day, extensive reconstruction began. Misty guided the engineers to the power systems, John met with the architects, to plan on how to remodel their new island home for both comfort and security. They noted the open spaces for, what they assumed were playing fields for the prisoners would make for great training facilities. The cell blocks would have to be totally reconstructed to be actual bedrooms, storage areas, and playrooms and training facilities for the children and young ones alike. The metal bars melted can be used for additional weaponry, as well as necessary support in areas where nature had begun to tear things asunder.
As the planning continued with John and The architects, Orion led members of the clan on a controlled demolition outing. Destroying any and all items that were no longer usable by the clan or would make into solid scrap parts. They began in the cell blocks, tearing the cell doors off the blocks and utilizing another member of the clan's gift as an adept to burn to melt the metal bars down into a malleable state.
After the doors were brought down and melted, they began to move the metal into Smithy's new place on the island. He had taken up arms in a lighthouse that happened to be near an old boiler. Which with his creative repurposing became a new force with which he would create the tools and weapons the clan would need during these desperate times. The lighthouse itself also acted as a natural vent for the steam generated by the forge. 
The Island Of Shadows, Two Months Later. 
It took all kinds of hard work by everyone in the clan, young and old alike to accomplish it. But the former Alcatraz Prison had been totally remodeled into the Island Of Shadows, the new home of The Crows clan of thieves. However, in that interim, Ariya had been searching for the clan without ceasing. She had suspected that the clan had taken refuge somewhere in the area still, but hadn't found them. To take her frustrations out, she had conquered several territories in the northern half of what was California and parts of Emerald Falls. The southern half had all but been turned into an outpost of the Fertíl kingdom. The various armies in the area had fought valiantly, but couldn't push them away. The Fertíl kingdom had almost destroyed everything the crows had built over the centuries. However, they hadn't broken the people's faith in them. They had an unwavering faith in the clan returning to destroy the Fertíl army. Soon, their hope would be given a justification, they prayed.