Igdalen Gardiner, or Iggy as she preferred to be called, loved the simple things in life: Braiding her long, satin-like platinum hair in the morning, finding the right outfit to wear for the day, writing in her diary, deciding whether to go to the salon first or enjoy going to different shops to buy more makeup supplies, more dresses, more paper and ink, and a little bit more of everything else too. More and more and more, there was always something else to find. Each day was its own adventure, and she had all the money in the world to keep that adventure going as long as possible.

Turning around in front of the mirror, she had chosen a light green jacket over a button-up shirt with long brown pants. It reminded her of her old school uniform. With high cheekbones and eyes with the depth of the purest emerald, many had called her features "doll-like." She took that as a point of great pride and made sure to carefully highlight them with a painstakingly thorough make-up session every day. There was never any harm in looking as good as you possibly could, after all.

"I'm heading out, Aunt Mel!"

"Make sure you come home at a reasonable hour tonight, Iggy!" The clinking of glasses could be heard as her aunt prepared the table for tonight's dinner. "No more strolls out with boys going past your curfew. And if you buy something that exceeds your allowance, I'm not giving you any for another week."

"Okay Mel, I've got it. No boys, no expensive presents... and no fun."

An indignant "I heard that!" followed Iggy as she burst onto the street. Taking in a deep breath, she smiled. Asphodel was the perfect place to waste away your life away.

The lovely port town demanded admiration, perched at the end of the Styx region. The serenity here couldn't be matched. Only the littlest of interesting things happened here; scandals like Matilda Addams breaking up with the local banker's son to instead be with the stable boy who worked just outside town, or the mystery behind the one stolen bottle of milk from each of the regular 12, (that Iggy absolutely hated being forced to drink, by the way) which were deposited in front of people's houses every week, or the bangs and flashes of light that the street kids said came from the old, abandoned mansion by the water.

Iggy's own place of residence at the moment was a homely abode, with high windows and a solid oak door. A mildly splendid house for a mildly splendid girl. You couldn't ask for a better life, in her eyes, and she was more than happy living it.

Except...

Thud!

... for that.

One moment, Iggy was standing with her arms stretched, ready to face the day. Next, she was on her bottom facing the opposite end of the street. She felt a loose strand of hair from her carefully prepared braid stroking the side of her face. Looking up, she saw a familiar, but rather unwelcome sight: Her nemesis and local nuisance, the Pickpocket.

Cloaked in a dark, slightly ragged cloak to keep their appearance hidden at all times, the Pickpocket was known for being three things: Annoying, greedy, and short. Their slight frame allowed them to scamper off wherever they wanted to without much fuss, only drawing ire whenever they bothered to stick around people and bother them. Or, more accurately, Iggy.

A wide grin could be seen beneath the hood of the robe, their lively, fruity voice ringing out. "Hey there, bestie!"

They possessed a flighty air, seeming to stick around only to cause trouble for their own amusement. As the ends of their cloak drifted over the ground, it gave the impression that the Pickpocket was floating. Always one inch above the ground, never bothering to touch back down and remain free.

Iggy could feel the familiar vein pulsing against her forehead as she took a deep breath, blowing out of her nose. "I thought I made it quite clear we weren't 'besties'..."

The Pickpocket's gloved hand brought a finger up to their chin. "We're not?"

"Of course not, you moron! Not when you keep banging into me like that to steal my money! But I've got one over you now, you see! I've put my wallet somewhere you'd never think of looking. You can't go on any of your shopping trips anymore."

The Pickpocket stood still for a moment. Over the past several years that Iggy had been living in Asphodel, this mischievous kleptomaniac dogged her once a week or so. Maybe twice a week, if she was unlucky. There was the occasional month where the Pickpocket wouldn't return to haunt her, but sooner or later, they always returned.

The Pickpocket gave another wide grin. "Oh... really? You mean... this wallet!?" From the depths of their cloak, to Iggy's shock, they whipped out her wallet. But she had hidden it in... wait, that could only mean--

"YOU GROPED MY BOOBS JUST TO GET AT MY LEPTA!?"

All of a sudden, the demeanor of the Pickpocket changed. As if deflating, their cloak firmly touched the road. Frantically waving their hands in front of each other, wallet still in hand, they (unsuccessfully) tried to make their case.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What kinda creep do you take me for!? I'm not about to feel somebody up, boy, girl or otherwise! I was very quick about it, just grabbed the wallet and that was it."

"I already knew you were terrible, but this..."

As Iggy got back on her feet, she seemed to possess the fury of a god. Fixing the Pickpocket with the most loathsome glare possible, she enunciated a venomous "Give. It. Back."

Realizing the time to flee was near, the flightiness the Pickpocket had possessed previously returned to them at once. "Oh, absolutely. Buuuuut... not yet." With a flutter of their cloak, they turned tail and ran, with Iggy in hot pursuit.

"Get back heeeeeeeere!"

A grating laugh was all she got in return. "Man, haven't had fun like this in ages!"

"I'll show you how fun it is to be dangled upside down from the church rooftop!" Iggy made a dive for the Pickpocket, but they evaded her by jumping atop a nearby stack of pallets.

"Yeah, that's not so fun," they said. Iggy gave them a furious stare from the ground. Seeing this, the Pickpocket wagged their finger. "Oh Ig, that's not a good place to lie down. People step all over the place in town, and where they step gets... you know. Rubbed off."

"Shut up!" Pale hair in messy strands across her forehead, Iggy shot back up to make another swipe at the Pickpocket who jumped out of the way. "And don't call me 'Ig', you brat.

"I bet you go around to all the other poor kids about how you manage to steal the wallet of an easy mark, but really you just want to throw your weight around. I mean, how else are you supposed to uphold your ego when you run around dressed like my aunt Mel's old set of drapes?"

The Pickpocket stood still after that. But only for a moment. They soon began to chuckle. Evilly.

"I get it! We're playing serious today. Well, I'm sorry to tell you Iggy: I've gotta break my one rule if that's gonna be the case."

Iggy blinked.

"You know, all this time I've never actually spent anything when I take your wallet..."

"I mean, yeah, but you always take it anyway just to piss me off!" Iggy could feel her stomach sink as she managed to deduce where the conversation was going. In desperation, she made another grab for her stolen possession only for it to be effortlessly yanked out of her grasp once again.

"Uh-uh-uhhhh, you know what this means!" The Pickpocket wasn't bothering to hide the glee in their sing-song voice.

"No!"

"Shopping time!"

"Get back here!"

The Pickpocket was off again as they headed toward the center of town, Iggy in hot pursuit.

Asphodel was the perfect place to live in. That is, if you always kept an eye on what you had with you. The settlement had a small infestation of thieves who would run amok in town and steal from the wealthy. Tourists were often warned of the consequences of leaving their travel bags beneath their restaurant table. Iggy had the special 'privilege' of being the Pickpocket's mark, meaning that her possessions were off limits to any other thieves lurking about. She wasn't exactly grateful for it, but she begrudgingly recognized that this was for the best. However, today it seemed her luck may be running out.

The Pickpocket had led Iggy to the town's main square, where Iggy saw several officers she knew chatting up the waitresses at the cafe.

"Yo, assholes! Do your jobs for once and help me!"

All three of the on-duty men jumped in their stiff uniforms, now the unwilling victims in the unhappy game Iggy and the Pickpocket was playing. The iridescent buttons on their tight-fitting uniforms shone in the light of the morning sun. Grey pistols hung at their waists. They were all Iggy had.

They were named Will, Phil and Dill. The three had been inseparable for life, and nigh inseparable from one another in terms of likeness and demeanour. They lacked the presence for anybody to actually take notice of how they were different. People only ever took notice of them precisely when they needed them for some task or over, unfailingly on the scene the instant these moments occurred.

Will (Or is he Dill? Iggy thought) was the first to speak up. "Again, Iggy? You've gotta keep tighter hold of your dough. We were just chatting up – ah, there goes another one..."

The waitresses they were speaking to only seconds before had forgotten the trio entirely, moving onto other customers, all of whom where watching the Pickpocket glide across the square to the fountain in amusement.

"Save it. You know the drill: Get. That. Brat!"

Dill spoke up this time (Wait, was this Will again? Maybe this was Phil?) "I mean, m'lady, I'm sorry, but... that's the Pickpocket! Nobody catches the Pickpocket, as I'm sure we shouldn't have to remind you. All you manage to grab is air and the bitter taste of defeat."

Iggy put on a pained grin. She cracked her knuckles. "Defeat isn't the only thing you'll be tasting if you don't do what I say."

Instantly cowed, the three unfortunate victims were roped into battle, with a quick "Alright already!" dropped by Phil. (Or was this Will too – oh to hell with it, I'll just go with what my gut tells me!)

Will was the first to speak up as the four made their way to the middle of the square. "Stop right there, thief! We have you surrounded."

The Pickpocket gave a friendly wave back. "Oh, hey Gill!"

"IT'S WILL!"

"Same difference. Look, I appreciate that you show up all the time to attend our little excursions, but um, I've got a little shopping spree to do."

"Really?" Phil drew out his baton from his belt just as Iggy joined the three in cornering the felon by the fountain. "And where will you go? The sky? Not even you can fly."

Beneath the Pickpocket's hood, another impish grin showed itself. "Says who?"

BANG!

A massive plume of smoke unfurled itself from the Pickpocket's feet. Everybody caught in the radius began to hack and grasp at their throats, eyes streaming.

"Ohhhhh, sweet almighty Apeiros! What was that?"

"Ugh, I told you that the only thing we'd taste would be defeat, and this definitely smells like it! And my granddad's old socks!"

Fighting her way out of the putrid smoke, Iggy shook her head to clear her sinuses. Giving one last cough, she rubbed at her eyes and scanned the square once again. As passersby tried to run away from the cloud of noxious fumes, Iggy stamped her foot in frustration, her aggravation at having to play this ridiculous cat and mouse game yet again bubbling up.

Then she remembered how the Pickpocket had coyly countered one of the trio's claims about them not being able to fly. And wasn't she trying to get to—

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"The rooftops!"

Whipping around, Iggy quickly scanned the rooftops. She saw a swish of a black cloak just as it crested the edge of a gutter.

"C'mon dolts, we've gotta chase after her!"

"How'd she even get up there?"

"We'll lose her, let's go!"

As unhappy as they were, the not-so-merry band of three still followed Iggy as they raced through the streets of town. In the back of her head she was regretting that she couldn't be more polite to them, but desperate times called for desperate measures and an even more desperate attitude.

Iggy had no solid way of knowing where exactly the Pickpocket was going. They had headed for the western side of town upon climbing atop the roofs, yet most of the buildings in Asphodel were of fairly consistent height. It wouldn't be too difficult for a skilled thief to hop in the opposite direction. Yet even the Pickpocket was mortal. Human, elf or dwarf, there was no way they could move across the rooftops at a swift pace without causing some form of disturbance, which was why Iggy was looking for—

"Aha!"

The men jumped in shock, but Iggy paid them no heed. She had seen a few loose pebbles fall from the rooftop on her right. Now that she thought about it, she had seen a connecting bridge a street or so back, meaning from where she was in the square the Pickpocket could have easily crossed it above and continued running.

Shifting to the right path, Iggy kept her eyes peeled for falling pebbles until at last her vigilance paid off. They were at the edge of town, the gate wide open for visitors. Asphodel was encompassed by a large wall, and it was eclipsed only by the church clocktower in the east end. Iggy barely registered the cloud of dust heading toward them on the road leading in, shifting her attention toward the roof. Sure enough, the Pickpocket was standing there.

"Oh? You managed to follow me? I'm impressed."

"Give up the wallet! There's nothing more barbaric than stealing somebody's personal property!"

"I can think of a few things that are worse." The Pickpocket sat down on the edge of the roof, spinning the wallet on their gloved finger. "So... what now?"

"What do you mean what now? I've got you cornered!"

"No, you've got me at a stalemate. I mean, yeah, you've got me at a disadvantage but how exactly are you planning on getting up here?"

Iggy gave a huff. They had her there.

"What if we knocked you down with magic?" asked Dill.

"You can try!"

"Big talk from a dead person." It was true that Iggy hadn't yet been able to master the spells she had been taught, but she was on her way.

Holding her hands behind her back, Iggy continued glaring at the Pickpocket. More specifically, the stolen wallet in her hand. Despite all her threats, she never intended on hurting anybody. She put all her focus onto her stolen possession, reciting a quick Wind summoning spell in her head.

She took a deep breath, cleared her mind and gave all of her focus into pulling off this one trick. The Pickpocket had done nothing with the wallet but twirl it for the past several minutes, enjoying being able to outwit her.

Iggy got to work. Breathing steadily, keeping her blood pressure in check for the inevitable spike she'd face as she concentrated.

May the winds favour me, bless me with good fortune and trust that I shall remain ever respectful of their power. Bring back what was mine posthaste!

Iggy looked at the wallet spinning in her nemesis' hand expectantly, but as she felt a shift in the air around her she realized she had somehow messed up the incantation.

"Uh oh," was all she could utter as she was blasted backward. Landing square on her back in front of the entrance to town, she wordlessly gasped in pain as the three accompanying her checked to see if she was alright.

Trying to force herself up into a sitting position, another jolt of pain rocked her upper back and caused her to land nearly face first in the pebbly pavement.

Taking several deep gasps of breath, Iggy righted herself again. This had been the second time she had been knocked to the ground. Once was enough but knocking yourself over was downright embarrassing. The hawkish laughter ensuing from the rooftop didn't help matters.

"OH MY GOD... your, pffft hahahahahaaaaa! Oh, your big plan just did not work out for you did it? I mean, I've seen botched magic before, but what you just did was another level of amazing."

"SHUT UP, YOU MISERABLE LOON!" What remained of Iggy's patience snapped like a frayed string and she jumped to her feet, nearly bowling over her companions. She sprinted toward the base of the building before sliding to a stop at its base. "Do you really think this is over!? I can just climb up there myself and make you pay! I hear torture magic's more fun when there's nice weather outside!"

The Pickpocket idly tapped the stolen wallet against the side of their head. "Ah, come on girl, now I know you've lost it. Just throw in the towel, there's no way anybody comes back from knocking themselves back a couple dozen feet."

"How about I knock you a few dozen feet backward instead!? Trust me, from personal experience I can tell you it won't hurt nearly as much as when I get my hands on you."

"Not interested."

"You shouldn't be!"

"Hey, Iggy..."

Snarling, Iggy whipped her head around at Dill. "What?"

Dill was pointing at the entrance, through which a man on a zeitcycle came riding through. The purr of the engine grew stronger until it came to a stop in front of the group. Propping the kickstand and sidling off it, the man stood up to reveal a youthful face cropped with dark hair and mahogany eyes.

The man looked at Iggy and then the Pickpocket on the roof, who gave a casual wave. "There a problem? I could hear you screaming before I even got close to the gate."

Blushing, Iggy idly played with a lock of platinum hair. "Just a personal problem, sorry about that."

The man squinted as he looked up at the Pickpocket as they swung their legs back and forth from where they were perched. "Local nuisance?"

"Bordering on plague now," Iggy sighed. "They've got my wallet. I've gotten better at avoiding them but still, I always end up in some grand chase against them all the same."

"I see." Scratching his chin, the man began to smirk. "You seem a jovial fellow, Mr. Thief!"

Cocking their head to the side, the Pickpocket stood up. "It's the Pickpocket to you. The Asphodel Pickpocket, feared across the city for having fingers faster than the hands of Time herself.

"Kinda arrogant of you, don't you think?"

"Trust me. I know what I'm talking about. There's no better scoundrel, lowlife or miscreant all throughout Asphodel, nosiree!"

The man's smirk broadened. "Alright then. You say you've got the fastest hands—"

"Fingers, dear sir! Fingers! Very important distinction to make."

"Okay. The fastest fingers. If I manage to knock that wallet out of your hands, you'd have to admit that you lost fair and square. I can then return it to the lovely lady right here."

The Pickpocket's unoccupied hand clenched into an excited fist, pumping it up into the air. "Oooooh, I love games! Yeah, that sounds awesome. You've got a deal. Winner takes the spoils and if any losers are sore, they'd better remember they're a bore!"

Iggy's eyebrow twitched as another spike of irritation flared up in her head. What kinda crappy ass motto is that?

Laying his travelling cloak over his zeitcycle, the man smiled. "Today's your unlucky day then. The game's on."

The Pickpocket bent their knees, wallet in an iron grip.

Still smiling, Asphodel's newest arrival started to stretch out his arms. "Just saying, you have the chance to give that wallet back to the girl without a fuss. And you don't have to lose."

"Only losers are afraid of losing. Besides, if you really wanted this to end without an exciting climax, you would've just asked me to hand over the wallet in the first place without setting up this little match of ours."

The mystery man gave a satisfied bark. "Yeah, I see now. You're definitely this town's biggest nuisance." His eyes began to narrow. "But you're not its biggest player with me here."

One moment of stillness. The air, sound, the goings-on of downtown Asphodel and anything beyond its walls were entirely irrelevant in that moment. The world composed only of the Pickpocket, the town's new mystery guest and Iggy and the others waiting with bated breath.

A gust of wind followed. Iggy blinked, barely registering that the spot where the mystery man had been previously was now vacant. Her attention drew to the roof, where he was now exchanging a furious series of jabs with the Pickpocket.

The man threw punch after punch, soles dancing across the tiles yet never once losing his balance. He had the size advantage, but the Pickpocket was proving to be no slouch. Curious, he tested out one of his more powerful techniques; packing a well of dark mist in his palm, he swung down with the might of a bull, leaving himself intentionally open. He stepped back as he sensed a kick aimed at the left side of his stomach. There was no doubt in his mind it would have knocked him off.

Sliding back, the man continued to keep his eyes trained on his opponent as they did a few showy flips. Finishing with palms outstretched and the wallet clenched between their teeth, they sucked in air with relish.

The man nodded, satisfied once again. He massaged his stinging forearm. "You're pretty good, you know that?"

A cursory nod and beckoning motion were all he got in response.

"But you're not quite at that high a level yet. I've hit you way more times than you hit me. Tell me how many."

"Bore bives fen ah ha fegers!" they gargled with the wallet in their mouth, seeming unaware of how silly they are. On the ground, Iggy's eye twitched once again, this time out of personal embarrassment over her nemesis being a colossal idiot.

The mystery man could only let out a bark of laughter. "You're really committed to stealing the show, aren'tcha? May want to try answering without having something between your teeth. Go on, I'll let you have this little breather to give a real answer. I have a soft spot for fools like you."

With a puff through their nose, the Pickpocket took the wallet out of their mouth. "Okay, more times than I have fingers, is what I meant to say. Happy you can understand it?"

"Not much left to understand." The man crouched, a feral grin twisting his features upward. "But a hell of a lot more left to teach ya. See how long you can keep up with me at my normal speed."

Iggy took a sharp intake of breath. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Was this only a fraction of his true capabilities? The Pickpocket seemed to sense that the game had entered its newest phase, and for once, the cocky grin faltered. They tensed, adopting an offensive stance.

The man's grin shifted into a wry smirk. "Those are good instincts you have. You know you're outmatched, but you're not planning to defend. You're going all out now because it's the only chance you've got, no matter how slim it is."

His feet swelled with the same dark mist he used before, yet it was far more potent. It was not so much mist as it was a vortex of condensed space coming out from his heels, licking the air like a candle flame.

"I said before I like fools like you, and I mean it. Which is why I'm honoring you with a taste of what the big players outside of this little town are like."

Once again, the air grew heavy. The sheer power radiating from this mystery man was overwhelming for anyone nearby. Iggy stared, transfixed.

This was the power to bend the world to one's own will. Wealth, status, race and political motives didn't matter before it. Nature granted it permission to thrive. True power was the ability to subjugate the will of others, and never before in her life had Iggy felt somebody do that to her. She would have run away if she were the one atop that roof, yet the fact the Pickpocket remained resolute and still, even as their lips quivered in fear, was a testament to their fortitude. For the first time, Iggy felt something she held for very few people: Respect. For both of the combatants she was watching.

Another moment passed. Then the man took off with the sound of a sonic boom. In an instant, he appeared in front of the Pickpocket. They attempted to sidestep a moment too late as they were swept off their feet. Instinctively they stretched out their hand to land back on their feet, but it slipped. Was it a mistake? No, they clearly felt some outside force enacted on their hand, something dragging it away from its intended destination. But if that was so—

No! There was no time for this, the Pickpocket realized, as they sensed the same power surging in front of their stomach again. They exhaled to ensure the punch didn't wind them too badly, yet it didn't stop the crushing hit to their solar plexus.

The punch pushed them to the other side of the roof, where they rolled until coming to a stop just before the edge. They tried to get up, but the crushing pain in their stomach made them gag. Collapsing forward, cheek flush against the tiles, the Pickpocket lay defeated.

The man walked back up to them, standing with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. "That was a good move you were trying to do, wanting to dodge away from my attack. Under regular circumstances, it would've worked. You were just dealt a bad hand. I ain't exactly normal, see?"

After a few spluttering attempts, the Pickpocket started giggling, which then progressed to laughing, and then finally graduated to laughing.

With the same smile on his face, the man cocked his head to the side. "What?"

The Pickpocket, somewhat recovered now, cartwheeled to the side before doing one final flip on the south side of the roof. "Remember the rules of the game? Nobody said anything about defeating the other in a fight, just about letting the wallet fall out of my hands. And, as you can see, I still..."

The Pickpocket froze in the middle of speaking. Their head seemed to swivel in small integers like a rusted machine before looking at their right hand, which was empty. It swiveled to their left. Still empty. They began to search their robe for it, almost doing a small jig out of desperation.

"Don't tell me..."

They looked back over to the man, who had a toothy grin and grasped the wallet triumphantly. "You may have the fastest fingers, but in a world like this, there are lots of ways of getting stuff you need without having to use your hands."

A loud whoop from Iggy down below finally sealed the deal for the Pickpocket. They lost. For the first time in forever, they actually lost. Shoulders slumping in defeat, they gave a small sigh.

"It was fun while it lasted. But now I'm motivated by something other than hanging out with Iggy."

"IT'S NOT HANGING OUT, YOU LOON, ALL YOU DO IS STEAL FROM ME BECAUSE YOU'RE THE TOWN'S BIGGEST VAGRANT!"

"Iggy, please, you know you can't climb up there!"

"I don't have to if I demolish the building first!"

The man looked behind him in amusement, although a small trace of alarm slipped into his voice as he said "Okay, let's wrap this up quick. I have a feeling she's half serious."

The Pickpocket pointed at the man. "I now have a goal. A real goal. You've shown me your power, and now I've gotta work my hardest to beat you! One of these days I'll be pulling a fast one on you instead."

"Oh yeah? I look forward to seeing that day."

"Well, good! That's really good! Because, um, I'm gonna beat you!"

"Uh huh."

"Like, so bad you won't know what hit you."

"If you say so."

"I know so!"

"You know, you could've just ended your speech after I said I was looking forward to the day you beat me. Would've been a way cooler exit. Why are you still here?"

That question stumped the Pickpocket. The finger still outstretched began to shake. "I-I get the last word in here, n-not you! See you later, losers!"

With one final shriek of petulance, the Pickpocket turned tail and began to hop across rooftops, off to do who knows what.

"You're a strange one," the man remarked. He turned around and, the dark mist pooling out from his palms slowing his descent, returned to a still-fuming Iggy.

"I swear I'm gonna clock that little twerp real good one of these days..."

"Well, don't worry. Already did the job for you. They seem to have learned their lesson for now."

Iggy let out a long, satisfied sigh as the was finally reunited with her wallet. "Now that was an adventure and a half."

The man chuckled. "More like a bad detour. Although I think it had its merits."

Perking up, the man looked at the unfortunate guards who had been dragged along. "Oh, where did you come from?"

"Seriously, dude? We've been here the whole time!"

"Yeah, but we didn't really uh... do anything."

"That's right! Iggy, next time you're going to drag us along, try to make it worth our while."

Having calmed down after getting her wallet back, Iggy held up a hand in apology. "Yeah, my bad guys. Sorry. I just kind of lose it when my stuff is on the line. I'll try not to interfere while you're on the job."

Will gave a small smile. "Well, not like we were doing much anyway. C'mon boys, back to the grind."

The trio set off grumbling, giving small waves of farewell to Iggy and her rescuer.

"With that all squared away now, I've been meaning to ask you a couple things."

The man fixed Iggy with a strong gaze. Iggy was a little taken aback.

"Ask away."

"First off, your name."

"Oh, right! Didn't have a chance during the commotion. My name's some long, overly fancy drivel so just call me Iggy. Everybody does."

"Iggy. Nice name. I'm Christoph, Christoph Pax. I'm afraid I have a bit of unpleasant news to break to somebody here."

Iggy's lips pursed. She could tell it wasn't good news from his tone of voice. "Who? And what news do you need to give them."

"The wife of a fashion merchant I found attacked by bandits up ahead. He's dead."