I sat on the edge of a small well, munching on the last remaining raisins I'd stolen, washing them down by drinking directly from a stout wooden bucket. It felt great to quench my thirst at the very least. I was also busy internally chiding myself for messing up as spectacularly as I had during my attempted heist. The magical ingredients shop had been a great choice and everything had gone exceptionally well... until it hadn't. I'd been too full of myself, become complacent and made too much noise. And now somebody knew there was an elf in town. If word of my break-in got out, and the right people put two and two together, they would figure out the killer of their emperor was still here. The only real advantage I held now, was the imperial leadership's apparent reticence of letting the death of their leader become public knowledge. This would likely buy me some time. Though how much of it, I didn't know.

Those were questions for another night, anyways. Mainly, because this night was almost at its end, judging by my brightening surroundings and the few tired people starting to leave their homes already. I filled the now empty glass jar with fresh water from the well and began my treck back home. I'd stashed the pouch and coins I'd looted during my heist into my cloak-bundle and pulled the ugly hat over my ears again. If fiction was to be believed, I'd have to find a dark hood if I wanted any hope of a lasting career as a thief. While I was reasonably sure I didn't want any part of that, the anonymity alone would be a great boon to me on its own.

I utilized the abundance of time I had on my hands to glance at the contents of the pouch I'd stolen alongside the handful of coins, hoping desperately to find at least one blue and teal stone inside. Though from the weight and feel of the cloth container, I was already pretty sure I wouldn't be satisfied with its contents. Indeed, what I found upon untying the little blue string and taking a look inside the pouch, was just a handful of dried herbs. An assortment of little brown and black stems, tied together carefully with a fine piece of string took up most of the space inside. There was also a piece of what I assumed had to be some kind of root in there, but I didn't recognize what type of plant it belonged to. The stems however I did recognize, and they gave me pause: I hadn't seen a stem of Ash Sage since I'd set out from my Elven home. Whoever the owner of that alchemical shop was, apparently held some secrets. Even back home, this was a rather rare find, and one with rather potent healing powers. They weren't nearly as potent as the Crystals I favored, but pretty much the next best thing if prepared correctly.

I felt seriously bad about having taken the rare herbs; I'd figured my little break-in wouldn't cause any real problems to the owner of the place. They wouldn't miss a few coins, and I'd never actually expected to find any genuine Elven Crystals to steal if I was being honest with myself. This, however, was a different story. I didn't have to think long about what I'd have to do, and I groaned audibly at the realization: I'd have to return the blasted pouch. I wouldn't do it right now, obviously, but in a few days, when things had calmed down, I'd have to visit the store once again.

One step forward, two steps back...

My walk back through the city streets was luckily uneventful. Avoiding street traffic was a bit more of an issue now than on my way here, but things were still manageable. The first rays of the morning sun only hit me when I climbed up through the makeshift entrance to my temporary lair. I let out a breath of relief when I closed the upstairs "entrance" door behind me.

***

The following day passed without incident: I curled up by the fire, watching my storage of firewood as it dwindled dangerously, and thought warm thoughts of lavish, filling meals to make the time pass. The latter I tried to reign in after a while, because it seemed that the presence of imaginary food just made the hunger worsen every time. I wasn't sure whether it was a lack of sustenance or a lack of Crystals that had caused my head to pound painfully over the last few hours, but severe headaches now weren't just a result of attempts at magic anymore, but a constant threat.

My meager water supply had run out hours ago, when the sun finally deigned to cease shining, and the capital was eventually covered by a convenient sheet of blessed darkness once more. Since nobody had stormed into my little abode over the last day, swords blazing, I was reasonably sure, leaving would be safe enough; I probably hadn't been followed after my late-night excursion. After a quick glance around, making sure I was alone, I hopped down into the alley beneath my home once again. At least the mud had mostly dried now, and I only sank into the ground a little bit upon impact. The little jump from the entrance of my home caused an alarming light headedness to suffuse my mind again, unfortunately. I would really have to find another Crystal, or my situation would just keep getting worse by the hour. With a few flicks of my heels I quickly wiped away the boot prints I'd left on my descent just to be safe before I stalked off. I tried to take my mind away from the crystals I slowly started to crave again, thinking about all the adventures the capital at night had in store for me.

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***

With a long suffering squeak, the tavern's door opened and I finally stepped inside. I'd spent the last hour scoping out similar establishments, until I'd found one run-down enough for my tastes. The interior was just dark and gloomy enough for me, as was the clientele.

Looking through the room, I spotted a few dark figures sitting mysteriously at a dark table in a corner, plotting. Another patron lay snoring with their head balanced precariously atop a mug, while at the adjacent table, a group of rough looking lasses and lads played what I assumed was a card game. They even had the requisite number of regrettably bad tattoos covering their arms. Truly, this was the perfect place for a wanderer of the night such as me; a true den of ill repute. Even the huge barman fit the stereotype, absentmindedly wiping down a tankard and looking a bit angry doing it.

The atmosphere was hampered a bit by the coat hanger and little wooden box to my right, labeled "lost and found" in a cutesy cursive font. I took a quick glance at the contents of the box, but quickly gathered why nobody entertained thoughts of stealing any of it. There was a discarded old shoe, a misshapen tankard labeled "Jane", and a necklace made from what looked oddly like human teeth. The coat hanger held a single occupant: a deep black cloak with a suspicious dark stain covering one side. It was no wonder the thing was covered in a small layer of dust. I gave the bartender another glance, but he was still busy polishing a tankard - the same one, perhaps - and didn't look in my direction; perfect! I dusted off the cloak and quickly put it on, pulling the hood over my face with no small amount of relief.

I tried to cover the cloak's dark stain when I approached the bulky barman, but he instantly seemed to lock onto it anyways, giving me a well trained scowl.

"That ain't yours, y'know," he said gruffly, in an imperial dialect I barely managed to translate.

I made a show of casually leaning on the bar, studying the small selection of bottles on the shelf behind it. "Seemed to me it was just catching dust over there. Want me to pay for it or what?" I carefully made sure to banish every trace of an accent from my speech, though I didn't even attempt to mime my opposite's rough dialect.

The big guy moved a bit closer, finally setting down the rag and tankard. "Don't think the owner will come looking for it. Just wanted to warn ya." He pointed at the dark stain on my newly acquired cloak. "If ya end up like the last who wore the thing, ye won't leave this place without spillin' a big red puddle on the floor. Best watch yer back 'round here, lad. Don't want to have ta clean the floor again." He grinned, revealing a row of... surprisingly well cared-for teeth.

I raised my eyebrows. "What happened to the previous owner?" I asked, though I suspected I knew the answer.

The barman shook his head, sadly. "The lass ordered some of the good stuff," he pointed at a bottle behind himself with his thumb, "was sittin' right over on that table there, when it all went bad." He shook his head again, quietly adding: "real shame, that."

I shook my head, too. I'd seen it play out like this dozens of times: wrong time, wrong place. Truly, a waste of-

The barman went on, "She was mindin' her own business, when one of them stupid drunks fell off this stool here. Fell over, crashin' into the back of her chair. Knocked the entire mug of red over, spillin' it everywhere. Was a shame that," he shook his head sadly again, "haven't seen her since."

I blinked a few times; that really hadn't gone the way I'd been expecting.

"Are you telling me this is just a wine stain?"

"Pretty much," the barman said, grinning again. "Not my fault people keep assumin' the worst. Hope the thing serves ya well, don't think the owner is comin' back for it," he shrugged.

I couldn't keep away the chuckle any longer. "You're a regular comedian, huh?"

"Don't get many new patrons here," he chuckled. "Have ta make my own entertainment when I get the chance, ey? Name's Gundar by the way." He extended a big hand, and without hesitation I grasped it for a strong handshake, looking the man over covertly while I was at it.

He was indeed broad shouldered, and a good bit taller than myself, with a thick, well cared for beard covering most of his face. The odd streak of gray shone from the otherwise dark blond hair. He had a bit of a stubby nose peeking out from the bushy beard, lending him a somewhat more kindly appearance than I'd noticed beneath his initial scowl.

"I'm, uh-" I thought for an instant, "I'm Feo." Good enough.

"Nice to meet ye, Theo," he nodded, ignoring my pause. "What can I get ya then?" He added a gesture in the general direction of the drinks behind him for effect.

"How about some of that red you mentioned? Perhaps if Ibdon't spill it, I can lift that curse from my new cloak here," I answered, grinning. "And if you have something to eat, that would be great, too."

"Ye certainly sound like ya can afford the stuff," he said quietly. "Best be careful with that upper crust speech in these parts. I try ta run a clean ship in here, but this ain't a good part of town no more, as you've no doubt noticed." He added, more quietly, sounding a bit defeated: "Town's gone ta shit."

I nodded quickly, wincing at the words. "Thanks for the warning, Gundar; I'll watch my back. What about that food, though?" I tried not to sound too desperate.

He'd been staring into the distance for a bit, clearly lost in memories. "Oh, sorry lad." With a shake of his head, he returned to the present: "Don't really offer meals here, but I might be able ta get ye some bread and fruit if the coin's right."

I reached into the pouch at my side, where I'd stored my coins alongside the valuable herbs, and pulled out two blue-ish, gleaming coins. I handed them to the man directly, adding in a quiet voice: "the first is for the food and drink, the second for some information."