He traveled by train and minimized foot travel, determined to stay as far out of the beating desert sun as he could. He wasn’t really sure what town he decided to stop at—he’d just bought a ticket and figured he’d see where it took him. It did, though, have to be one of the bigger ones in the area, abuzz with a kind of vigor one could only find in a city.
Alrynn had, frankly, intended on wandering around and, if nothing striked his interest, he’d simply find something to do at an inn. But it wasn’t long before something caught his attention.
“This is not a dead or alive commission,” he heard some woman remark. He rounded the corner to see her—dressed like she might be someone’s assistant or something—talking to a pair of tough-looking men. “His parents want him returned safe and soundly. Absolutely no violence is to be directed towards him.”
The two men looked between each other, scowled, and grumbled something before leaving.
“What’s going on?” Alrynn asked as soon as he got close enough. “Did someone go missing..?”
The woman seemed surprised at first and then enthusiastically nodded. “Yes, exactly! I work for House Dazana of Geira—they’re a wealthy family from around here. Unfortunately, however, their young son—Kezati—seems to have disappeared. I was sent out to find someone to help look for him. We know he couldn’t have gone far and we know he left on his own accord. All we need is someone willing to bring him back safely, without the use of force, and I’m starting to realize only brutes look for commissions around here…”
“Why do you think he ran away?”
At first she looked confused, before she must’ve understood the other question he was asking. “Oh, goodness, no! He’s rather well taken care of. As I said before, they’re a wealthy and quite prominent family. But you know how some kids are—they can find the idea of living up to that intimidating, then get it in their head that they have to leave to ‘find their purpose.’ His parents only want what’s best for him. I wouldn’t lie to you about that.”
A kid who felt like he couldn’t live up to the expectations his parents laid out for him, huh..?
Alrynn nodded to himself. “I’ll take the commission.”
“I’ve never even told you how much it was for…”
“Well, I’m guessing it’s enough for a night at an inn, a good meal, and some extras for a box of cigarettes and a glass of beer. That’s all I’ll need out of it. Do you know where he was last seen?”
“Last I heard, he was probably still in town somewhere. I don’t think he would’ve gone very far—it hasn’t been long enough yet.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Alright, I’ll ask around a little more to see where he is. Can you give me some more details? What he looks like, the kinds of places he might be drawn to?” He paused. “Where I should bring him once I find him, for that matter?”
…
Alrynn wasn’t quite sure where he was expecting to find the kid. It wasn’t the first runaway he’d help locate; usually they ended up near the train tracks or in some nastier part of town. But he found who he was almost certain to be Kezati in the suburbs, in a community that seemed generally friendly.
Though that didn’t mean Alrynn found Kezati in a favorable situation. He was slowly backing away from a stern-looking man and a large dog, letting out a sheepish chuckle as they kept getting closer.
“Now, I can see I outstayed my welcome,” Kezati said carefully. “But I believe there’s a way we can solve this without, uh, your very nice doggy using me as his new chew toy. Don’t you think..?”
That didn’t seem to do anything. Whatever he’d done to upset the man, it didn’t appear that any opinions would be changing anytime soon.
Until, of course, Alrynn was close enough not to bother the neighbors by shouting, “I think you should leave the kid alone.” He glanced at Kezati. “But just to make sure—you’re Kezati Dazana of Giera, right? I know admitting this probably isn’t going to make you be honest, but if you’re not, you’re not exactly my problem…”
Something close to conflict flashed in Kezati’s expression, but it wasn’t because he was about to lie. Alrynn had no doubt that Kezati was telling the truth when he nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s me. Are you the next guy who’s desperate enough to escort a kid back home?”
“Looks that way.” Alrynn gestured to the man and the dog. “What did you do to this guy?”
“It’s a funny story, actually. So, I was walking down the street, when—”
The man bluntly interrupted, “The damn kid didn’t watch where he was goin’, and he stomped all over my flowers. Then, he had the nerve to dent the mailbox! I thought me and Daisy here could show him his place…”
Alrynn sighed and patted the side of his belt. It wasn’t a very noticeable gesture, just enough for the man to undoubtedly become aware of the gun on his person. “All I want is to bring this kid back home to his parents. I don’t want any trouble.”
After a moment’s consideration, the man mumbled something like “Neither do I, have a good day.” and he and his dog sulked back inside.
“Thanks.” Kezati said it with a playful grin, as if it was all planned from the beginning. Surprisingly, he already started walking back towards the heart of the city. “I don’t think you’ve shared your name, mysterious stranger who is somehow both my savior and my betrayer.”
“Alrynn. Alrynn Norcyne of Ethar. I want you to be honest with me, because I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not going to bring you back if you left for a reason. If they’re doing something to you, just tell me. Even if it means losing a paycheck, I’m not going to knowingly bring you back into a bad situation.”
“You know, I’ve been doing this for a couple of years—wandering around the city, ‘running away’ even if I never went far. You’re the only one who’s ever asked me that.” Kezati shrugged. “The answer’s no, though. My parents aren’t… bad, not really. I’m just not who they want me to be. I’m not some amazing scientist or scholar or whatever. And they’re getting a little nervous with how I’m ‘not taking finding my talent seriously enough.’ No harm being done. Just parents who think they know exactly what’s best for their kid…”