Chapter 3B1: The More They Get Complicated


Year 30

A hand reaches for the pouch on your side; you grab it and open your eyes.

"Damn it." Mara exclaims.
"I keep telling you, you're not quiet enough and you make more noise than a clumsy orc. I honestly don't know how you don't get caught more often by your marks." You say sitting up.
"Well if I do, that's only because I'm doing it like how you taught me."
"If you really think that's how I've been teaching you, then you haven't been paying attention and we need to spend even more time training. What time is it?"
"Afternoon. You slept through the morning as usual."
"Sounds about right. So…early bird, what have you been up to this morning?"
"Nothing much really. Just wandering around the city and doing stuff."
"Hmm, wouldn't be with that little gang of hoodlums you hang out with sometimes would it?"

Mara does answer immediately.

"Figured." You say shaking your head.
"Why are you so against me having friends?" Mara asks.
"I'm not. I just think those idiots are a bad influence."
"You're joking right? YOU think other people are a bad influence on me?"
"Oh trust me, the irony isn't lost on me, however I would propose that I am at least a bad influence in an efficient way. You keep hanging out with that group of losers and well…you remember what happened to the Crimson Talons?"

Mara rolls her eyes.

"This isn't Klyton, and my friends aren't the Crimson Talons!" she exclaims.
"No they aren't. The Talons were more organized and they STILL got completely wiped out due to being reckless. And while maybe the Jicol Watch isn't as overzealous as the Klyton Militia, but it's only a matter of time before your friends get into a whole mess of trouble that they're going to bring down on their own heads because they think punching old ladies in the street and grabbing their coin pouches to be the height of thievery." You reply.
"Only a couple of them do that! And Marco has been telling them not to do it anymore. He said as the Black Hooks, they should be…"

You start chuckling.

"Black Hooks? They gave themselves a gang name? Oh that's precious. Truly a name that will stir fear into everyone. And you're telling me Marco is the leader? The gang already sucks."
"…why…why are you being such an asshole?! Marco's a great guy and he's trying to put it all together with my help! He's a real thief! Just like me and you!"
"PFFT!" you say with a mixture of contempt and genuine amusement.

"I've met Marco when you first introduced me to all these idiots last year and that boy is NOTHING like me. He wasn't even me at that age. And as for him being like you, I like to think I'm a way better teacher than that despite your previous criticisms."
"You don't know what you're talking about, you're just an cranky old man who doesn't want me associating with anyone except you!"
"Okay first of all, I'm only fucking thirty. Second of all I do know what the hell I'm talking about. I understand your need for friends your own age, but I'm telling you this is the fucking wrong crowd. I've seen some of these dumb asses in action when I'm going about my own business and they're all going to wind up in a bad end."

At this point you stand up and continue your rant.

"And as for Marco, of course he wants your help, because out of ALL of them, you're the only real thief there and he's hoping that at least SOME of that shit that I've taught you will rub off on him. Well that and the fact he also wants you around to get in your pants." You remark.
"Y'know, sometimes I wonder if that's why you want me around." Mara retorts.

You stop for a split second at this outrageous accusation

"Wow. You're REALLY going to go there? Y'know, if you really think that, then just fucking go. Go off with your little friends. Well? Go! GET THE FUCK OUT!" you shout.

Mara jumps back a bit by your yelling and then without another word, she leaves slamming the door behind you. You slump back down on the bed already feeling drained even though you just woke up.

Things were getting a bit tenser with Mara for a couple years now. You chalked it up to her being a teenager, but this latest argument has made you start to wonder if it's worse than just the need to rebel against you.

As you try to calm yourself down, Elana jumps up on the bed and very slowly walks over to you. You give her a pet and she curls up to sleep. She does that a lot more nowadays. She's so old, and right about now you're feeling the same way.

"(Sigh) It's really damn bad when I'm already missing the old days. Just me and sis against the world. Been downhill ever since that split. Certainly hope she's doing a lot better than I am right now."

You continue to brood, thinking about what you should have done or shouldn't have done in your life. Eventually you stop since it's not doing you any good, so you go back to sleep instead.

A few hours later you wake up and find that it's nighttime. Mara isn't home, but then maybe she won't ever come back. Still, you can't help but be concerned about her.

You can only hope that she knows what the hell she's doing and that you taught her well enough that she doesn't get caught or can get herself out of trouble.

In the meantime you decide to get some of your own work done and leave your humble dwellings to go accomplish just that.

A few days pass and Mara still hasn't come home. However, you've still been keeping an eye on her from afar. You mostly know where she is and all her hang outs. She spends most of her time in the city district where docks of lesser importance are located. It isn't the best area, but given that she's with her Black Hook friends, you assume that she at least has people to watch her back. (And you figure Marco is especially, but you'd rather not think too much about that)

As for the Black Hooks themselves, they're still pretty low as far as Watch is concerned it seems. When the city is more concerned with keeping a strong naval force to ward off any potential pirate attacks, a group of juvenile delinquents that still haven't done much more than petty theft, assault and vandalism, just doesn't rank very high.

Honestly, you're more surprised that Mara hasn't gotten bored by them all yet since you know she's a lot more talented than any of them. You know you'd be bored. Then again you suppose you just weren't very social and never wanted to hang around with too many people. Just one that you could trust.

Weeks pass and while you continue to keep an eye on her, sometimes you start to wonder if maybe you should let go. Of course if you did let go, you'd have to leave the city altogether, because you just couldn't stick around and NOT look out for her.

You stay

No, you're not going anywhere. Maybe she needs her independence and maybe she's more "worldly" than most would be at her age, but the fact is, she's still young and if she DOES ever need help, you want to be available.

Besides, it isn't like you've really got anywhere important to go. Besides this unpleasantness with Mara, your life here in Jicol hasn't been that bad. Certainly better than it was in Klyton or your very brief stay in Hessla.

Still, you're starting to wonder if you should try your hand at something new. Not that you really believe that you're starting to get too old for this, but it would be nice to have an income that's steadier.

You know that they have Qweepa fights here, but you're a little too attached to Elana to subject her to that. Besides she's too old and you don't think that after having one as a pet that you'd want to willingly risk their little ugly rodent lives even if it is for coin.

You think for a moment on the various activities you could be doing and then realize you could be a fence. It's not like you don't have skill in selling stolen items already. You had to do it when the Crimson Talons stopped fencing for you; you still do it now when you're selling to the less honest merchants here.

What you need to try to do though is make yourself known to other thieves who are unwilling to or don't know how to wheel and deal with the merchants. Not that you've ever particularly hung out within the "criminal circle" in the city, but you are aware of some of them. You figure you can work your way up to bigger clients in time.

You get yourself set up and within a month you get a few of the lesser pickpockets to sell you're a few of the trinkets they've stolen. You in return sell those to whoever is willing to buy. Be it an average citizen on the street that needed for a gift for his girlfriend or a less than honest merchant.

As you become more engrossed in this work that you spend less time watching out for Mara, however she's always in the back your mind and you at least try to keep an ear out for possible information. She still hasn't returned of course and that of course still makes you feel a bit down.

A month later your mood doesn't change much when Elana dies peacefully in her sleep. You bury the little rodent, thanking her for being the link that allowed you meet Mara in the first place.

Perhaps it's due to being a bit lonely and away from the mainland that you start to think about your real family again. You wonder how they're all doing. Is your sister still having her adventures on the road? Are your mom and dad okay? In fact, you get a little home sick and do something out of character, you write a letter to your family explaining that you're doing well. You don't go into great detail of course, you just keep it light and add an apology at the end. You send it by the courier service here, but who knows if it will actually get to them and you have no expectations that you'll hear anything back.

A few more months pass and you're approached by a couple of young teenagers. You immediately notice that they both have tattoos of black hooks on their arms.

"Hey…um…are you the guy?" one asks.
"Am I the guy what?" you answer.
"Y'know, the guy that buys shit."

You nearly chuckle. Of all the groups that would come to you…then again you suppose it isn't too surprising, what with the Black Hooks being "on the rise" and all. And what the hell, business is business.

"If I was, and I'm not saying that I am, do you have something in particular?" you ask.
"Yeah! We just ripped this off from that Artifacts of the Ancients place! LOOK!" one of the teenagers remarks and trusts some sort of vase at you.
"Are you fucking stupid showing that thing out here in the open? Put that damn thing away and follow me to some place less likely to get us all fucking pinched!"

After doing your business with the Black Hooks, you remind them that you also sell items too and if they need anything in particular you could try to acquire it for them.

"You have any Green Lotus?" one of them asks.
"Not really a drug dealer guys, you'd have better luck at Desolation Alley if that's what you're into. However I can probably find something stronger in a few weeks if you're interested." You say.
"Stronger? Fuck yeah! Oh wait, it's not Yellow Devil is it? Because I heard that shit literally melts your brains and body if you use it."
"Oh no, not that. What I'm talking about is actually legal, but not just available to most of the public. Physicians use it mostly for surgeries, it's called Numb. Used to be able to get a lot of the stuff back in Klyton thanks to their medical school. Not as easy to get here, but I have my ways. Now normally this would cost you more than a bit of coin, but when I get it I'll give you a discount, but I do want to some information.
"What sort of information?"
"Do you know a girl named Mara? She's in your gang."
"We just joined, so we don't know everyone yet." One of them remarks.
"Wait, Mara? She's got black hair and was teaching those other guys how to pick a lock a few days ago. She's Marco's girlfriend." The other says.
"Ohhhhh, yeah her. She's fucking pretty, I'd so get her on all fours and fuck the hell out of her."
"Hey! That's Marco's girl!"
"So? He's not here."
"Yeah, but I am. I've looked after that girl for the past five years you asshole." You say.

The teen suddenly shuts up.

"Um, he was just joking…" his friend says.
"Hm, I'm sure. Look never mind all that. I just want you two to give me a report on her, and no, I'm not asking you to snitch any of those precious Black Hook plans or secrets, of yours."
"Nothing else?"
"No, I just want you to tell me what she's up to and if she's okay."
"Well that's okay I guess, but this Numb shit better be worth it!"
"Oh, it'll be worth it. Trust me."

And with that last bit of assurance, the two teens leave your presence. You hope those two idiots don't make themselves too obvious in performing your task. You'd hate for them to get caught and then Mara come down just to bitch at you about it.

You make a note that you need to go do a proper burglary of that Numb addict doctor that lives over across town. You're guessing that he must get it through a very well protected shipment from the mainland. Probably even from Klyton. You also know damn well that the last time you cased his place that you found way more than he would ever need for a private practice of his that small.

In the meantime, you have to go see a woman you know who is a sucker for fancy looking vases.

You time passes...

Year 32

"I just paid you! Dolan exclaims.
"Yeah and you know the damn rules Dolan, you can get Numb AFTER you give me the information as well!" you say.
"But I don't know any more! I swear! I'm got my ass chewed out by Marco already for asking too many questions! Hasn't all the other information I've given you in the past been good?"
"Hmmm, fine. But I'd advise you to start going easy on this stuff. It's not as simple to acquire anymore. So unless you want to go risk getting that inferior Green Lotus shit that got your buddy killed due to getting a bad batch, I suggest you not even come back unless you got a lot of coin or some information I can actually use. Now you better get out of here before some other Black Hooks come in to sell something and overhear that you're spying on all of them."

Dolan meekly takes his small container of Numb and scampers away like the low life he is. The boy had no idea that it was going to lead up to this, though you planned that it would. A somewhat reliable mole in the Black Hooks just so you can keep an ear out on what they're doing, though it's still more to keep a check on Mara who apparently is doing well in her position with Black Hooks though that doesn't surprise you for several reasons.

In some ways you're actually proud of her, but as always there is still concern. Especially with what you've been hearing lately and the Jicol Watch is the least of potential problems. A few members of the infamous Ebony Claw Syndicate have been seen in the city.

You've already heard the many tales of the Ebony Claw Syndicate. They're a huge organization with a shitload of resources behind them and when they start showing up regularly in a city that usually means it's currently in their sights for expansion. And if they do expand, there isn't much that is going to stop them, as most of the criminal here are unorganized. Anyone who they don't bother to incorporate into their organization is going to just get eliminated.

This development has got you slightly more concerned for Mara since as a member of the only potential "organized resistance" to an ECS take over the Black Hooks could very be on the list for elimination.

You aren't really sure what you can do though. You haven't spoken to Mara since she left two years ago and she's made no effort to contact you.

Of course you haven't really made the effort to speak with her either and it's not like you couldn't meet her alone given the eye you keep on her with your drug addled spy. You suppose you haven't since you aren't sure if she'd want to see you.

For a couple days you seriously mull over the idea of going to see her or not and that's when you get a visit from members of the ECS.

"Figured it wouldn't be long before you guys showed up." You say when they come through the door.

The pair of them are about the sort you'd expect from the ECS, a couple of intimidating muscular guys with tattoos. They don't answer you right away and just briefly look around before addressing you.

"I take it you're the fence of this city?" one of them asks.
"Well I'm hardly the only one." You reply.
"Yes, but we've heard that you're probably the best one."
"Really? Glad to hear my reputation is in good standing with the underworld I suppose. Never can quite tell in this line of work as I'm sure you well know."
"Hmm, can't say I'm impressed with the Jicol underworld if you're considered the best, but looks can be deceiving I suppose especially since you seem to have even eluded being under suspicion by the Jicol Watch here. It at least shows you know how to keep a low profile, which displays signs of professionalism. In any case my name is Nathan and since you already seemed to know we were going to show up I'm going to go ahead and assume you know why we're here." Nathan says.
"Well I can take a guess, but for all I know you might be here to kill me." You reply.
"Oh we don't have nearly enough information about this city and it's major players to start killing anyone yet. However it doesn't seem like there are any major players unless we count the actual government…or have we missed someone?"
"Are you asking me?"
"I don't know, am I? Surely an important man as you knows things. Of course if you're saying you don't know anything, maybe we should talk to someone else…"
"Hold on. I didn't say that I didn't know anything. It's just that you're fairly correct about the situation in Jicol. The underworld element here has no real uniting entity and I don't have much to add."
"Interesting. So what about this other group I've heard about in passing, the Black Hookers or something?"
"Um, the Black Hooks. Yes, mostly an unruly gang of amateur teenagers who think they're tough. Not really that important."
"I see. Though from what I hear their numbers are sizable and the youth are easily molded if given the proper motivation and training."

You don't respond to Nathan's last response. Nathan at this juncture makes a few eye and hand gestures to his less talkative comrade. Nathan's friend nods and stands by the door while Nathan addresses you again.

"Okay friendo, I'm going to tell you this because quite frankly I don't want to be bothered running around speaking to every little two copper thug that's in this city and you seem to deal with most of them anyway. Even if you don't then you know enough of them that they'll spread the word to the rest."
"And that word is exactly?"
"The ECS is taking over ALL operations here. A pocket isn't going to be picked in this city without us guiding the hand and getting our cut. This might not be today, this might not be tomorrow, it might not even be next year, but we are coming and nobody here is going to stop us."
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, let everyone know that the ECS isn't unreasonable. If they seek us out for official membership we will consider them. Even if they aren't quite up to our standards, we'll find something for them as an associate. One thing we WILL NOT tolerate however is resistance. So let everyone know, defying the Ebony Claws won't be in their best interest if they wish to continue their choice of careers in the future."

You don't have much to add to that, save for a nod.

"So I trust I can count on you for this task?" Nathan asks.
"Sure, I'll spread the word, though I'm wondering about my place in this new order you're proposing." You say.
"Oh I'm not worried about you. You seem intelligent enough to know to step aside when a storm is coming. For now you can continue your business as usual. We can discuss your future when things are more settled. I'm sure we'll talk again many more times soon."

Nathan smiles and bids you good day. As he and his friend start to walk out the door, you realize that now you really do have to speak with Mara personally.

Later on in the week you go to seek her out, though you stay out of sight until you can get her alone which isn't really a long wait since you find out that she mostly works alone and at night when she's not socializing with her fellow Black Hooks.

You follow her for a while as she creeps into a couple closed businesses, and then make your presence known when she's sneaking out of a bakery of all places.

"Didn't realize the bakeries were doing so well." You say.
"Shit! Oh damn it, there goes my evening snack!" Mara exclaims when she gets startled by you and then drops the pastry she stole.

Mara composes herself and then looks at you. She's grown a bit. Granted you knew that and you've seen her from afar, but this the first time in two years you've spoke to her and seen her this close.

You sort of expect Mara to either walk away from you or get nasty, but she doesn't, instead you get:

"Hey…dad." She says.
"So, you're my daughter now?" you ask
"Well what would you call us?"
"I dunno, you made a pretty damning accusation before you left two years ago."
"Yeah…I really shouldn't have said that. Always sort of thought I should apologize to you, but…I dunno…guess I was just too stubborn."
"Well I could have apologized as well. I was stubborn too, though I also thought that you'd just yell at me and walk away."
"Maybe in the beginning I suppose, but I haven't really been angry at you for a long time. Honestly, I probably shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did, but…"
"Yeah I know. You needed to have friends your own age. That's another reason why I just let you be."

Mara smirks a bit.

"Bullshit. You've still been keeping an eye on me all this time. Even when you stopped physically spying, you got those two idiots Dolan and Addison when he was still alive to spy for you." She replies.
"Guilty. So when did Dolan confess his guts to you?" you ask with a bit of a smile.
"Actually Dolan and Addison never told me anything directly, but they became so obvious as time wore on that I knew they weren't just being horny guys staring at me and trying to eavesdrop on me. When I found out that several of the Black Hooks would do business with you, I sort of drew my own conclusions after following them around a bit." Mara remarks.
"So any reason why you kept it to yourself and didn't tell Marco or even confront me about it?"
"Well like I said, I was too stubborn to go see you in person again, and I figured why mess up perfectly good business between you and the Black Hooks? That wouldn't benefit anyone and I didn't want to see you possibly get hurt since I know that you were just concerned about me."

Mara then walks forward towards and touches your hand.

"You stepped up and looked after me when I was well on my way to an orphanage. At least you taught me skills to survive and were nice. Who knows what would have happened in the orphanage. I won't ever just forget that and I'm sorry we parted the way we did."
"Like I said, that's all in the past. Don't worry about that now."
"That's good to hear you say that, though I feel like you didn't just come see me to reconnect again."
"There's trouble coming for everyone in this city and maybe the Black Hooks most of all."

You and Mara go some place more private (And less near some place she just broke into) and you explain the situation with the Ebony Claw Syndicate. While she's definitely listening to you, you don't think she quite appreciates the situation.

"The Black Hooks will fight back against these Ebony Claws if they start showing up and throwing their weight around." Mara says.
"No, no, that's exactly what you DON'T want to do with these guys. Look Mara, I'll acknowledge that the Black Hooks are more skilled than I originally gave them credit for and they've lasted longer than I thought too. But when it comes down to it, you're all still a bunch of teenagers that don't know shit. The ECS has been around for…shit I dunno even know how long. These guys aren't just a gang like your Black Hook friends or even the Crimson Talons, they're a powerful organization that rivals fucking governments at times. Jicol is a prime meat for them and they aren't going to be denied their dinner."
"I hear what you're saying, but how do we really know all this? What I mean is, how do we know it isn't all just stories? Have you really ever had to deal with them in before? They never had a presence in Klyton, maybe their rep is exaggerated."
"I won't argue that maybe it is to some degree, but I also don't see the need for a pointless risk. Honestly, the Black Hooks would probably be incorporated into the EBS, you'd probably be fine if you complied."
"Perhaps, but I doubt if Marco would agree to it. He's got some plans of his own and getting assimilated or pushed around by a rival group isn't part of it."
"Well you better convince him otherwise then, because it won't end well for the Black Hooks if you go to war with the Ebony Claws."

Mara has her own suggestion.

"Well…can't we all just unite?" Mara asks.
"What do you mean?" you ask.
"I mean don't you have connections with a lot of the other independent thieves and such? I mean surely they wouldn't want the ECS coming in, pushing them around and taking a cut of their money either."
"Well some of them wouldn't be pleased. Others I'd wager would just throw their lot in with ECS thanks to their reputation alone."
"But couldn't we convince enough of them to repel this invasion?"
"That's a tall order, but…I suppose it could be possible. We'd have to act fast though and we'd have to track down the current ECS outpost here and eliminate them all. I mean leave nobody left. With some luck MAYBE with nobody reporting back to the mainland, the ECS will just assume the worst and not bother sending anyone else. If not, well we just continue with the united front and kill the ECS as they arrive until they stop. I don't have to tell you though how dangerous that's all going to be."

Mara seems more receptive to that plan, though you're usually more for anything that's going to result in less risk for life and limb, but you've also got the long term to think about which is do you really want to answer to the ECS?

You comply

You've already been given a good deal and fighting the ECS is just crazy. Hopefully you can make Mara see that.

"Mara, we only just reunited and I don't want to lose you now. We need to not oppose the ECS."
"Okay. I understand. However, I can't just abandon my friends either. I'm going to try to convince them…though I don't know how much success I'm going to have, but I need to try."

You hug Mara and breathe a sigh of relief. It isn't the complete break from the Black Hooks that you wanted, but it's a start and she's at least listening.

You part ways with Mara and tell her to be careful. You hope that she gives up her plan before things get worse with the ECS.

In the meantime you go back to your own business and perform the task that the ECS told you to do. Many of the thieves' express a certain amount of fear and respect upon hearing the Ebony Claws are in the city. Several outright say they're leaving it now. Many others mutter a bit about the end of the independent is at hand. A rare few say they're actually going to oppose the Claws.

Madness, you believe with the last group, but you're merely relaying information, not trying to change anyone's minds, other than Mara's.

Weeks pass and while you see Mara every now and then still, you begin to worry because you thought she would have given up this foolishness of convincing the Black Hooks by now. She's been going for slow burn of trying to convince them, but so far she's only got a couple who simply say that while they aren't keen on fighting with the ECS, they don't really want to oppose Marco. And convincing him has been completely unsuccessful.

You really don't want to interfere since you know if you do, it's possibly just going to drive Mara back into the Black Hooks.

Your concern increases when you hear that the Black Hooks killed two of ECS members and burned down a general store, which was acting as their headquarters. Already the Black Hooks are declaring victory over the ECS, which you know is not true. When you ask Dolan what the two men looked like that they killed, they don't match the description of Nathan and his friend at all.

The ECS probably has a lot more folks on here than anyone knows. The general store was probably just a business front they were getting ready to set up and their real headquarters is elsewhere. Wherever it is though, you know the Black Hooks don't have long for this world and you need to get Mara the hell out of there.

As soon as you're able, you make your way down to the popular Black Hook hangout near a small beach and under a boardwalk.

You see a lot of them drinking, laughing and generally having a good time. You don't even get the hostile territorial attitude that you'd expect.

"Hey it's fence man! Have a drink! We're celebrating our victory over those Ebony Claw pussies!" one of them says thrusting a bottle of something at you.
"Yeah! We just saved the fuckin' city! We're heroes!" another says.
"Ohh, who's this one? He's old…but handsome, you wanna give me a spanking daddy?" a mildly drunk girl says to you.

You tell them all to get off of you and ask if anyone has seen Mara. None of them have though. You don't have much luck until Marco suddenly shows up. He's certainly grown since the first time Mara brough him around two years ago, but you're hardly intimidated.

"What the fuck do you want? This is a private celebration for Black Hooks only, not pussies who quake in fear of the ECS! The ECS that WE just destroyed!" he says.
"Yeah, sure you did. Look, I'll leave you assholes to your dead man's party in a moment, but I'm looking for Mara, now where the hell is she?"
"Hey cocksucker, I dunno where you THINK you are, but this is fucking Black Hook territory and you're talking to the fucking head of it! You don't come into my fucking place and start…"

Before Marco can even finish, you punch him in the face and trip him to the sand. You then place a knee into his chest and pull your flintlock on him. The rest of his minions don't even make a move against you. They just look on in awe. Marco on the other hand looks on in fear.

"I don't have time for this shit Marco, I wanna know where my daughter is NOW!" you ask.
"Okay! Just don't shoot! I dunno where she is! She kept coming around trying to convince us not to fight with the ECS, but after a really big argument a few days ago, she and a few others that agreed with her finally left for good. I think she's been hanging out with them on the other side of city! And that's all I know, I swear!"

You're about to ask where on the other side of the city and that's when you hear the sound of a bolt going into someone followed by their body dropping.

Several more bolts, as well as bullets follow.

"Oh shit! It's the ECS and there's a shitload of them!" someone screams.

You look around from your position and see that there are indeed A LOT of ECS members all armed and surrounding the area. Some of the Black Hooks are trying to escape by swimming out further into the water, but thanks to most of them being drunk, they don't get very far and just become even easier targets

Marco pushes you off of him in an attempt to escape, but he gets struck down by crossbow fire after only getting a few paces away from you.

You attempt to shout at the ECS explaining that you're not with the Black Hooks, but they're not in a listening mood and as far as their concerned, you were found with them, so…

You die on the sand, with several bolts in your body.