Bottle still nestled in her crossed arms, Lina's surly expression didn't fade as she reached Kuhn, Elaina heading off. When she didn't immediately answer, Kuhn raised his hat, giving her a look.

Turning away in a huff, she muttered, "I can't believe you earned more in a few minutes than Chester and I did in a few days of work." Grabbing her bottle properly, she wondered, "Shouldn't Chester be done by now? Let's go back to the ship."

---

Metal scraping on the ground, there was a cry of fright as it tore through the air, rending a cutlass and a flintlock pistol in a deft motion. Smoke wafted through the air as the two goons in yellow turned to flee, but Johannes raised his hefty halberd. Hurling it, the blade cut at the legs of the goons, digging into the ground as two Balder soldiers moved in to apprehend them.

Retrieving his weapon, Johannes scanned the area: guards running about as the Quartz Company men were routed. A carriage, its horses cut loose an missing, now toppled on one wheel, the door hacked open, wines dripping onto the stone below. Johannes' eyes narrowed, fist curling into a ball.

Reaching the carriage, he looked inside, parsing over the smashed bottles to see an ornate case, split in to but not a drop of wine remaining. His fist smashed against the side of the carriage, splitting the wood. It was not the stolen wine that earned his ire, nor was it his failure.

It was the conceit. Those Companies continued to get their way, and Johannes had no idea where to begin with them. He could not grasp their mindset or predict their moves...who could? Even within them was a strong clash of ideology...

Turning as the distracting blaze was quenched, most of the Quartz raiders having escaped, Johannes let his eyes wandering, spotting the open ocean.