CHAPTER ONE:
LUCK BE WITH YOU
The market was alive with hustle and bustle. One could see assortments of items, from shawls, exotic goods, rare materials to food stalls with mouth-watering delicacies laid before the eyes. Crowds of people were flowing through the streets of the moderately sized market town of Dal Flarren. The skilled artisans were diligently working away, one strike of the hammer after the other. It was the very picture of prosperity.
Such illusions, however, were short-lived. One only had to look to the edge of the street and they’d bear witness to the other side of the coin that is this lustrous community. Beggars, pleading for even a morsel of bread, slaves toiling away under gruelling conditions with about enough provisions to function, yet never to thrive. Serfs delivering the yearly harvest with roughly enough left back home to feed their hungry families. Street urchins playing on the side of the path wearing tattered clothes and gaunt figures. The childlike innocence fading from their worn visages but still stubbornly clinging on.
Indeed, Dal Flarren, whilst a haven for some, was a town like any other to the less fortunate. However, not everyone would let their fate be decided by their ‘betters’. Four small silhouettes formed at the edge of the market behind some crates unloaded by the trading caravans.
"By God, where the hell is that merchant." a young boy, clad from head to toe in rags with only his face and steel grey eyes visible, complained.
"Just sit on your butt and wait! They’ll be here soon. He always comes to the stalls here for his favourite gantta fruit pockets." A grimy girl with mid-length, dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes in a similar attire grumbled.
"Uuuugh, this waiting is killing me."
"Will you learn some patience for one goddamned time in your life?"
"Whatever you say."
"Siggy, Gwen! Can you both stay quiet? I think our guy’s here." A young lad, a bit older than the rest of their ragtag group of street kids interjected.
"Yes, Leo!" "Fine." said Gwen and Siggy respectively.
Siggy sneered at Gwen’s response without the others seeing it.
'Isn’t she too eager when that lanky prick is involved? So what if he is a little good-looking, I will definitely look better in a couple of years.'
He thought while looking at Gwen who had a look of respect and adoration in her eyes whilst looking at Leo.
Just as they settled down, a man came around the corner. He was fairly ample with a substantial belly, his large body adorned with all manners of luxuries to display his wealth. A single guard accompanied him in a light cuirass a short arming sword and a decorated flintlock pistol hanging by his side.
"Look at that greedy bastard, flaunting his status. Can’t wait to count out his coin. That guard is a bit of a bother though. " Siggy said with glee and a tinge of worry in his expression.
"I seriously envy how simple you are sometimes, yet you make a good point. Leo, how do you think we should handle the guard."
"I am glad you asked. Siggy, this will be your time to shine."
"Let me guess, you want me to distract that walking mountain slide."
"I am glad you catch on quick." Leo glanced at the younger kid with a cocky smirk on his face.
"Thought as much. And I suppose your plan also involves me being bulletproof."
"Oh come on. No way he’s going to shoot in the market for some pickpocket. If he hits someone else, rich guy or not, he is screwed."
The fourth member of the group suddenly perked up.
"Leo, now, I know that Siggy might be a bit of a prick…"
"Oi!" Sig protested.
"...But don't you think that sending him up against that guy is a bad idea? I can’t say I am in support of it." he said with a frown on his face.
"Easy there Tristen, I am not sending your boyfriend in there to get cut up by that guard. He just needs to distract him long enough for one of us to get in there, mix with the crowd, snatch the purse, then the others will switch it amongst themselves in case we are followed to confuse the guards."
" ‘Boyfriend’? I am just worried about sending him out on his own. Us two have been surviving on the streets thanks to each other far longer than we met you guys. You should remember that without him you’d have been dead when that soldier caught you nicking his sword. Hell, you didn’t even manage to hold onto it when Siggy still managed to nab his purse in the scuffle."
"That is exactly why I wanted to send him, he is the fastest among us and that guard can probably enhance himself. On the other hand, you do make a solid point. I am sorry buddy, let’s look for another way." said Leo after reflecting on the situation.
But to everyone’s surprise, Siggy hugged the back of Tristen’s neck with one arm and said in a cheery voice with a bright grin on his face.
"Don’t worry pal, I’ll have that lumbering oaf in the palm of my hands. Just look at his dumb oblivious mug, the bastard doesn’t even know which way is up in these streets. You guys just worry about getting the purse off that piece of gold-plated pork chop. Worse comes to worst, I’ll just introduce him to our little present."
Tristen looked at his friend for a while before he closed his eyes and smiled before looking at him once again.
"Very well, but if you dare get caught I am going to break into the town dungeons just to kick your ass… maybe to bust you out too."
His friend gave a hearty laugh.
"Any less and I’d be disappointed!" laughed Siggy while shaking Tristen by the shoulder.
"I am unsure if they’d even bother with the dungeons. For street urchins like us with no background, they might as well have us ‘disappear’." Leo said in a serious tone, a hint of fear in his eyes which he tried to hide from the rest of the children.
Gwen turned around and looked Siggy straight in the eyes with clear worry.
"Don’t do anything too risky, you get caught and I am joining Tris in kicking your ass… and maybe saving you too."
"What’s that Gwen? I could almost hear you worrying for my well-being." He said as he cupped a hand against his ear.
"Hah! That’ll be the day! I am just worried you’ll lead those punks back to us."
After a short pause, Gwen looked away and grumbled under her breath.
"Of course, I am worried. You are one of us. I’d hate to see anything bad happen to you."
Siggy looked at her, smiled and then ruffled her hair.
"I’ll handle it. Don’t worry."
Gwen lightly swatted Siggy’s hand away and looked at him with a frown.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"You better."
"Cut the chatter. Our guy is getting close to the bakery stand."
Everyone quieted down and looked at the stand.
Laid before their eyes were an assortment of delectable pastries, breads and other types of baked goods.
The merchant walked up to the stand and greeted the stallkeeper with a nod.
"Welcome dear customer. Will it be the usual?"
The stallkeeper asked with a joyful smile, he knew the merchant was a significant spender.
"Yes but in addition to the 12 gantta fruit pockets, I’d like 8 cinnamon rolls with powdered sugar on top."
"Coming right up! Might take a while, I am currently waiting on some fresh rolls from the bakery. Should be here in about 5 minutes."
"All the better, would love to try some fresh."
— — —
"Jackpot!" Siggy exclaimed.
"This might go easier than we thought." Tristen said in relief.
"Keep your guard up, anything can go wrong."
"Gwen is right lads, no fooling around. Focus!"
""Got it.""
"Siggy, you’re up."
He covered his face with a rug and smothered some more grime on it to make recognising him harder. The rest of the gang decided to go without "makeup" to remain less conspicuous.
"Alright, now or never."
"Luck be with you, Siggy." Tristen gave him a finally encouragement after tapping his shoulder and they separated.
The young boy began his approach. Looking at his mark, he started having second thoughts but as soon as he remembered that not only the other three, but the younger kids back home were depending on them, he steeled himself and closed in on the large guard clad in what seemed to be light armour.
He was looking elsewhere when he heard an impact right next to him. It appeared to be a piece of rotted fruit splattered on the wall. Wondering who threw it, and why when he felt someone bump into his waist and his belt became lighter. He immediately snapped his head and looked at the small figure hastily making a retreat towards the industrial district.
"HEY!!! Get back here you little runt!"
The guard reflexively ran towards Siggy before he heard a shout towards himself.
"YOU, get back here! Let the city guard deal with the brat! Your job is to protect ME!"
The merchant was furious at the young guard. Fierce as he may be, his years betrayed him as he was simply not experienced enough.
"Oi, you there! Guard! Go after that little rat, if you get back my associate’s purse, there’ll be 5 shillings in it for you."
"Right away. Get back here this instant you brat. If you don’t run I promise you will only get the stocks for a day."
Siggy ignored the guard’s offers and just kept running, he knew not to fall for their sweet talk. Their lot wouldn’t even bat an eye at getting rid of a little rascal or two. He knew they’d never do it out in the open though, as they had to keep up appearances.
As he darted across the streets with the city guard on his heel, he kept hastily knocking over everything that could be used to stall his chaser, from small crates, signs and anything he could reach with his hands that would keep his speed relatively unimpeded. His above-average physique for his age allowed him a greater choice of obstacles to hurl the man’s way.
"You little shit! Just wait until I get my hands on you."
"Try it, you bitch! Can’t even keep up with a 13 year old."
He kept goading his pursuer. The angrier he got, the more he lost his composure and the more mistakes he made. And soon enough, he fell over on one of the crates the boy threw his way. This bought Siggy several precious seconds to enlarge the gap between them.
"I swear to the gods, I will cripple this brat!"
The guard at this point lost all his composure and ran after his target at full tilt, his light armour keeping his movement relatively speedy.
He was closing the distance and was drawing near to Siggy. The lad stopped for some reason and started fiddling with something whilst facing a wall. The guard didn’t care and only focused on reaching the boy. Soon he was an arm’s length away and as he reached out with visible glee and relief on his face, he suddenly heard a young raspy voice as if it just hit puberty shout out.
"You thought!"
Steam immediately erupted from the copper pipe mounted to the wall, hitting the unsuspecting guard straight in the face. He just about managed to close his eyes in time not to go blind but his skin was boiling and cooking off whilst still attached to his body. He quickly ducked and shrieked in agony.
"AAAAAHH!!!!"
An irritating laugh assaulted the guard’s ears.
"Should have worn a face plate, dumbass!"
All the guard could hear was Siggy mocking him as his voice was further and further away.
"I WILL KILL YOU! YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!!!"
His threats fell on deaf ears as the source of his anguish was nowhere to be found and he was left to suffer alone at the edge of the industrial district.
— — —
'Phew, that was getting hairy, good thing Tris and I set up some traps before the job as insurance. But damn it, I didn’t mean to scald his face like that.'
Siggy looked down at his hands shaking, the adrenaline wearing off, his lips spreading into a satisfied grin as he clenched both into a fist.
"Hah, whatever, sucker didn't even know what hit him. I am sure he can get a healer, the posh jackass."
In his hands were not one, but two coin purses. After the steam from the pipe hit the guard's face, his deft hands allowed him to nab his coin purse too.
‘Let's see what we have here.’
After finding a secure spot, Siggy began counting the contents of the two purses.
‘Holy shit! Two gold denars, 52 silver shillings and 68 copper groats for the greenhorn, then we have Mr Grumpy with 54 shillings and 36 groats. Huh, the first one must be some rich kid looking for hands-on experience and the second must have wanted to go whoring after his shift.’
He was pondering whether or not he had to worry about the rich kid as he may well have been a noble. In the end, he ruled out him being a noble's first couple of sons as they'd most likely be serving as squires or attending an academy and from the fourth son onwards they'd just get laughed at for getting their pocket picked. The other guard was a dumbass and he didn't even manage to identify Siggy.
He leisurely tossed the gold pouch in the air, caught it and snickered.
"Hehehe, no whoring for you, bastard. Though with that face I highly doubt any woman will touch you for a while."
As he was strolling across the industrial district, he was studying the area to ensure he wasn't followed by anyone else. Copper piping could be seen scattered scarcely across the area, a few steam engines pumping away with restless abandon.
As he strolled around he approached one of the machines that was powering a lifting platform to the docks and examined it.
‘It’s called a steam engine, I think? The town crier said we got this technology from the ruins nearby. Is it worth the cost though? The scavs and hunters will have more of their work cut out for them.’
He left the contraption alone and continued his roundabout
journey back home.
On his way, he saw dockyard labourers loading and unloading ships with cargo ranging from basic provisions to special ores. Some barely being able to stand the constant work as special deliveries just came in. They will get their rest once the job is done.
‘This place is a dump, how can people just labour away for those rich pricks with barely even seeing a groat in return? Fucking peasants.’
Turning around the corner to leave the district, he saw a collapsed person in the alleyway he found himself in. The figure was wearing a cloak, faced down clutching his stomach.
‘What the hell? Are they passed out?’
Curiosity overcame him and he approached the motionless person.
The alleyway reeked of decaying fish and other pungent odours.
He drew near and he could quickly tell it was a man. He could also quickly tell that he was no longer breathing. As he touched the now-cold remains, his body had a visceral reaction and he immediately threw up and started leaning against a nearby wall.
‘Fuck! It’s a corpse, should I call the guards?... What the hell am I thinking I’ll end up just like him.’
Siggy was pacing around in a panic thinking as to what he should do, he never touched an actual dead body before. Soon he gathered himself and made a decision.
‘No one else is around here and this schmuck isn’t going to miss his purse either. Fuck the church and their stupid moralizing, I have my family to feed.’
He once again reached his hand towards the cadaver and unveiled his cloak. It was a man roughly in his mid-30s, with stubble and dark hair lined with silver strands. He seemed recently deceased and appeared to be holding something to his body.
Upon closer inspection, he spotted a pool of blood under the man previously veiled by his cloak. In a panic, he hastily took a few steps back, almost slipping on the crimson liquid.
"Fuck! Blood!" he began to slightly panic and broke out in a cold sweat at the sight.
He took a couple of deep breaths and slapped his face with both hands as he tried to calm himself down.
‘Ok, Siggy! You can do this!’
Trying to leave as little evidence behind as he could, he reached under the corpse without flipping it over.
Squelching noises and a disgusting stench assaulted his ears and nose, as he was digging until he reached the man’s hands.
He pried them open, discovering a small object and pulled it out. It was a fist-sized grey cylinder of intricate design covered in blood. Twisting the top, he opened it. It contained a white orb roughly the size of his palm with similar markings to its container.
‘This couldn’t be…no fricking way!!! A spell stone! Or is it.... no... no way I'd be that lucky! But look at its size! What even are these markings? If it's a spell stone then we’re going to be rich!’
"You sure he’s around here? That shifty guy got jabbed pretty bad."
"100 percent, don’t underestimate them noble aide types. They are hand-picked like us."
"Oh, come on. I bet he collapsed closer to the estate after those kiin bastards attacked him. Seriously we tolerate their existence, despite their very existence being an affront to the gods and this is how they pay us back?"
"Oi! Watch your mouth! The church teaches us to protect those who are less fortunate. Ain’t their fault they are born wrong. It’s a trial by Lady Kratara and we are to guide them on their journey."
"If you say so, pal."
It was a pair of soldiers, and by the look of their equipment, they were high on the food chain too, maybe even knights.
‘Crap! I’ve got to hide! If they find me, I am as good as dead!’
Siggy dove into a pile of discarded fish as the soldiers arrived at the scene to investigate. All he could do now was wait and pray to the gods that he won’t be discovered.