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“There! Get them!”
Honestly, didn’t the guards have better lines to spout? After 15 years of daily thefts and running from guards, Effie had heard the exact words an innumerable amount of times.
“Hey! Stop!”
Two for two. That one wasn’t new either. It was more often said by the people she was stealing from, but it was still said more than enough times for her to get used to it.
Ahead of her, she could see Feilim pocketing several fruits from a vendor, and in the distance, Shay sneaking up on a wealthy–looking shopper. She slipped through the crowd of marketplace customers easily, and even the deft eyes of the guard– she recognized them as one who had come very close to catching them on more than one occasion– didn’t manage to see her get away.
The open central chamber that served as the marketplace in Ortou had plenty of entrances and exits, more than one of which were too small for any adult to fit through. Effie had been living in one of the many, many, smaller rooms that branched from branches of branches, a maze of corridors that would send any who tried to map them mad.
Feilim and Shay lived in the same chamber, and she could not imagine what life would be like without their almost constant presence. They did practically everything together. Steal, eat, exercise– even sleep, although as they gradually aged, Effie had decided that she wanted her own bedroll, which they helped her steal.
“Don’t let her get away!”
And of course there were the guards, who were almost just as stupid as they were several years ago, and still hadn’t been able to hold on to them for more than a few minutes at a time.
She ducked under a cart, sliding between the merchant’s legs before rolling back into a sprint. Already her escape plan was established, and in motion. The guard had lost sight of her for a moment, and a hidden tunnel entrance was only a few strides away. She slipped between some crates, squeezing through the darkness into a spot away from any prying eyes, and–
By the time the guard managed to clear away the boxes, all they could see was another empty room. The thief had gotten away again.
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Moving at night was extremely dangerous, but Shay did dangerous things all the time.
Of course, those dangerous things typically didn’t involve anything to do with tungwyrms; large, wormlike monsters that had– at some point– learned how to imitate speech in order to lure their prey– which was typically anything that moved, and some things that couldn’t. Like most inhabitants of Iocli, they depended primarily on senses other than sight, namely sound and vibrations, which Shay dearly hoped he wasn’t making.
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In hindsight, it really wasn’t a good idea to run down an abandoned tunnel to get away from guards, but was he supposed to know he would encounter a tungwyrm of all things? Just because it hadn’t noticed him yet– too immersed in its current meal– didn’t mean he wasn’t in danger. If he was too loud, or moved too quickly, it would surely realize it wasn’t alone, and then he would quickly be made into its dessert.
The tungwyrm’s teeth tore through the flesh of whatever its unfortunate prey was– it was too mutilated to tell, and the darkness didn’t help either– as Shay resisted the urge to groan. Not only was the smell horrible, but the sounds. He had heard plenty of disgusting things before, but this topped the list.
As slowly as possible, Shay backed away from the monster, careful to soften his footfalls. Thankfully it either didn’t notice, or didn’t care enough to turn from its food.
The journey back to the hideout was long, and every small vibration and noise made Shay jump.
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The vendor was hiding something.
Feilim had learned plenty in his years of theft and running, including when someone was lying. And that vendor was definitely lying. About what, he wasn’t sure, but it was there.
Their wares looked fine, and their cart wasn’t making any strange sounds or smells, but they were smiling too wide to be genuine, and their eyes glittered with lies. By this point in his life, Feilim knew that more often than not his instincts were correct, and his instinct was to avoid that vendor.
Moving to the side, he turned his attention towards the next cart, where another merchant was selling finely carved knives that looked more ornamental than practical. The blades didn’t look sharp enough to cut through a dwarf’s tough skin or a kobold’s hard scales, and certainly not enough to do any purposeful damage to any of the innumerable monsters that lurked in the tunnels of Iocli.
Letting out a sigh, Feilim retreated back toward where he, Shay, and Effie had agreed to meet back up after their rounds. It wasn’t as though his search was fruitless, he had grabbed a quarter of a dozen pieces of fresh bread, slipped a modest amount of money from pockets, and he hadn’t been spotted by any guards.
They had agreed not to stay out any longer than they had to, after both Shay’s close call with a tungwyrm and the increasing number of disappearances in the neighboring towns, moving too much outside of populated areas was getting more dangerous.
No survivors or bodies had been found yet, but from what investigations had shown, travelers had been vanishing when either traveling alone, or when traveling in small, isolated groups. While not revealing what exactly had been attacking them, it did help narrow the list. Lurites weren’t afraid of large groups, greyskins and revenants were too messy, and while tungwyrms were possible in theory, their mimicry wouldn’t work on any experienced traveler.
Nonetheless, Feilim, Shay, and Effie had collectively decided that staying out for extended periods of time was probably a bad idea, as was being too loud when in their hideout. After all, there were plenty of tunnels near to them which wouldn’t be hard for an unknown monster to hide in.
As he approached the meeting spot, he could see them nearing it as well. Nobody wanted to be the next disappearance.
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Hungry.
It had gone hunting several times recently, but it was still hungry.
Hungry.
Its host still kept it from hunting while they were awake.
Hungry.
No matter. It would hunt again soon.
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