Chapter 2
Before Nico found himself to be the leader of this ragtag group of orphans, he used to live near the church in what is known as West Tivazyl orphanage. He never met his parents. They had left him on the church's steps as a weeks-old baby with nothing but a bundle of blankets and a note with his name.
Life in the orphanage wasn’t that bad. He had other kids to play with, learned how to read and write, and he even was pretty good with his numbers. Food was always a problem with so many kids, but some of the older ones got odd jobs here and there to help.
One thing about Vostok is that it’s always cold, and the winters last at least half the year. Life under the king's rule also wasn’t the best. With heavy taxes and the crime rate through the roof, it was a miracle they lasted that long without aid from the crown.
Everything started when he was 6. They were coming off one of the harshest winters that many people could remember. It lasted longer than expected. They rationed as much as possible, but there were too many kids, and sadly a couple of the little ones didn’t make it. There just wasn't enough food to go around. Then it was finally over.
The temperatures started getting warmer, the bay was opening up, and everything was returning to normal. They could finally take a breath of relief. The worst was behind them.
At least that’s what everyone thought.
At first, no one noticed anything different, fewer guards were patrolling the city, and the noble district was very quiet, but it was a harsh Winter for everyone. When the bay was fully opened up, but no ships seemed to be coming their way, people started to worry.
Tivazyl had some farms and plenty of wild game in the surroundings but not enough to feed an entire city. They relied on the few mines in the mountains to the north for trade with the ships that came from the capital to the South, where it was warmer.
After some time, a few ships finally started showing up on the horizon, but it wasn’t the good news everyone expected it to be. The injection of goods from the South was a very welcome respite. That wasn’t what caught the attention of the people of Tivazyl.
War.
Everyone knew what it meant, but at the same time, the concept was so foreign to them. Vostok had been unified for centuries. Everyone heard the stories of marching armies, the fighting, and the loss of life, but no one alive today was old enough to have lived it. From time to time, there was word of skirmishes between the nobles, but by the time they heard of it, it was already long over. The few armies they had were mostly used for population control.
No one dared oppose the nobility. It was said that they had supernatural powers. A single man could defeat countless others on his own. They were just rumors, but everyone knew that the previous King lived for centuries before his son took over. No ordinary man lived that long.
The following year was the worst of Nico’s life. At first, everything seemed to be getting better, but then the news came, and he couldn’t have been more wrong. With food already scarce and not much coming in through the port, people did what they had to do to survive.
Nico started hanging out with some of the older kids that left the orphanage and following their lead until, eventually, he stopped coming back altogether. That's how he first learned the trade. He was small and very nimble. He quickly realized that he had a gift. He could steal the glasses right out of someone's face if he really tried, and the others started to pay close attention and get him under their wing.
That's how he first met Sawyer. His parents abandoned him, trying to keep the rest of their children fed. If Nico was small, Sy wasn’t even worth mentioning, but that in itself was a skill. Being the youngest, they quickly became best friends and did everything together. There wasn't anything the two of them together couldn’t pull off.
The winter wasn’t as bad as the previous one, but with the situation at the time, it became a struggle for survival. The kids grew bolder and more daring. Hunger was a powerful motivator. They had to work through the harsh Winter just to stay alive, and many weren’t so lucky. At least half of their little band didn't make it.
And then the horiens came. No one could believe it at first. News from the port were spreading that ships were sighted heading in their direction and not just one or two either but dozens of them. No one could comprehend what was happening, they had almost no ships arrive during trading season, and right now, the bay was frozen solid. What were they thinking?
As they got closer, it started to become apparent that something was different. These weren’t the trading vessels they were used to but big metal ships the like that no one had ever seen before. The whole city gathered at port on the morning of their arrival, barely first light. Everyone watched, some with hope, others with dread, but no one said a word. The only sound was that of the ice breaking.
The first out of the ship was a behemoth of a man well over 7 feet tall, clad in armor from head to toe. He just stood there gazing at us. Reaching over, he took his helmet off, and everyone took a sharp breath. Blue skin, white hair, and two white horns gently curving around his head. Everyone instinctively knew. The war was over.
The horiens received no opposition in Tivazyl and quickly took control of the city. Nico and Sy had been planning on following some of the older kids’ footsteps and taking up with one of the local gangs but quickly got rid of that idea. Not one week after the horiens arrival, all organized crime was dealt with. They propped back up over time, but for a while, Tivazyl was crime-free.
The horiens also brought with them enough food to last the city a while, and you could eat for free. You just had to request in one of the stations they set up.
The horiens arrival changed the city for the better, and it would only improve over the years, but still, the population viewed them with distrust. Although they saw no fighting, it was said that almost a third of the city population died in that year, mostly the elderly and the young. The principal cause was hunger and the cold, but also some fighting over the scraps left.
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Nico opened his eyes into the darkness of the basement, and he quickly got up so he could stretch. Years ago, they got some thin wooden partitions they could spread around to create some privacy, but he was getting too big. He had to sleep all curled up. He walked a couple of steps to the side and gently kicked at a bundle on the floor.
“Hey, lazybones get up,” all he got in response was a low grumble, so he kicked it a few times.
“Alright, alright stop, what's wrong with you, I bet is not even first light,” Sy complained.
“We have to go to Colton’s, remember? And we might as well bring all the stuff we have lying around, and I don’t feel like getting caught by some bored guard with a bunch of stolen shit,” that woke him right up, and he rushed to the table in the middle of the room and started splitting stuff between two small bags.
The kids stole anything they could get away with, coins, watches, clothes, toys, anything really. Some stuff sells others, not so much, but that didn’t stop them from trying. The only thing they were forbidden to steal was food, which might seem illogical, but they needed the food vendors on their side when they went to stock up for the Winter. The last time he caught one of the kids stealing from a stall, he gave him a beating and forced him to work there for a week for free.
If the food vendors stopped accepting their coin, they were done, and you could only steal so many times from the same place until they recognized you a mile away. That's why they had to give a part of their profits to the local crimelord. Colton kept the guards looking the other way. Still, if they were too obvious, there was no bribing that would save them. That and he didn't really give them a choice, you either got his protection, or he ended you.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Colton was like that. Whatever he wanted, he got, and if he didn’t, well, let’s say he wouldn’t be the loser in that exchange.
The lucky ones only ever dealt with Colton as the big bad crimelord that you paid to make your life easier. There were whispers that he was a fallen noble that fled the capital after the war. His crew also had a very low life expectancy. Colton didn’t tolerate mistakes. And that was the main reason for Nico’s apprehension of getting summoned. Rumor was that he wanted Nico to work for him.
There is a reason kids made such good thieves. They were small and hard to see. Nico was neither. He was still the best, but that was because of his gift. Sy liked to say that his dad was an horien, and that was why his mother left him in the orphanage. It was an interesting theory. Nico was taller, faster, and never really got sick. He didn’t think he was notably stronger than somebody else his size. These days Nico was leaning more towards the lean than the scrawny, but he was still pretty gangly. If only it wasn't for the pale skin and lack of horns, he might believe it.
“I still think this is too early,” Sy grumbled, closing the trapdoor behind him.
“Stop complaining. We can stop and eat something on the way.”
As they made their way to the main street, he looked around. This part of town wasn’t the most inviting place. It mainly consisted of rundown houses, gambling dens, and less than reputable taverns. As they got farther away from the wall, the scenery got a little nicer, and they could see some shopkeepers preparing for the day.
“Hey! Nico! When do you come up here keep me company,” he heard someone shout out of a balcony. It was one of Madam Lin’s girls.
“I’ll come to keep you company!” Sy shouted back, grinning.
“As if! You need to grow some hair first.”
“I’m older than him!” Sy said in indignation.
“Well, he’s taller,” she laughed. Sy grumbled. He knew she was going to say that, but he still tried every time, hoping someday it might work.
Growing up on the streets, they knew most of the madam's girls, like older sisters. Some of them even ran with them back in the day, and Sy always had a little crush on Maria, and she knew it.
Colton’s warehouse was on the east side, right by the river before reaching the port. He liked to keep an eye on the rich folk but not too close.
They grabbed some fresh honey buns for breakfast right by the bridge and then headed south.
“I don’t know how you can be so relaxed next to that tent, you must really be related,” Sy complained.
“I wish! And I don’t get why it bothers you so much, have you ever seen one of them do anything else other than change shifts, they are probably bored out of their minds,” Nico said and sighed.
As they got close to the warehouse, Nico could see some of Colton’s thugs hanging out in the front. They were looking right at them, and although it was pretty intimidating, you could also see the lifeless look on some of them.
Sy gulped but kept walking. He hated this place. When they got to the door, a tall guy in his mid to late twenties and a full head of curly head was looking at them, trying to appear menacing.
“Haha my little apprentices, what brings you here,” the guy cracked and grinned at them.
“Hello Markus, Colton called us here by name. You know what this is about?” Nico said, smiling at the older man. He was one of the older kids that taught them how to survive on the streets, one of the few ones left. Somehow he managed to work under Colton all these years without slipping.
“No, but hopefully nothing bad. The boss has been a bit cranky lately,” he said, his face darkening.
Dammit, that didn’t sound promising, Nico thought. Hopefully, he was in a better mood today.
“We also need to sell some stuff we got. There's good stuff in here,” Sy said, shaking his bag.
“I bet. Come with me,” Markus opened the door and led them through the big warehouse. Nico wasn’t sure what they did here exactly. They only seemed to use the back rooms as storage. The main room was always empty.
Nico left Sy to argue the prices. He seemed to enjoy it. When they were done, Sy was red in the face, which always looked pretty funny with his ginger hair.
“You realize you were quaking in your boots looking at the thugs outside but just spent a while screaming at one for a few silvers,” Nico smirked.
“Yes, well screaming at the ones outside won’t save me money, just the opposite,”
“Fair enough,” he agreed.
Next, Markus led up the stairs to the side and knocked on a door. He stuck his head inside and said something before closing it again.
“Ok, you can go in. Just sit down and stay quiet until he addresses you.”
“Thanks, Markus.”
They went inside and could see the boss hunched over his desk, tinkering with something. As they sat down, Nico thought to himself that Colton was one of the fattest men he had ever seen, he must be one of Haurel's clients for his clothes to hold up so well, but he quickly got out of that train of thought. This was one of the most dangerous men in Tivazyl. He better not underestimate him.
Nico and Sy just looked at each other, not knowing what to do. After a while, Colton finally looked up and smiled at them.
“Ah, Nicolai, Sawyer, so good that you could make it,” Colton said as he got out of his chair. Nico noticed he wasn’t much taller upright than he was sitting down. He grabbed a smalled book from one of the shelves behind him and sat down again.
“Let me see here. Yes, everything seems to be in order with your payments, did you come to deliver it this week personally?” Colton asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Nico and Sy looked at each other in confusion but also apprehension. Colton was always like this, keeping you off balance. At least he seemed to be in a good mood.
“Hmm. We got a message from one of your guys to come today. He said that it was urgent,” Nico said slowly, trying to figure out what was going on.
“Ah yes, how could I forget? This is a big day for you boys, you see” Colton drummed his fingers on the desk.
“ I know you have been waiting for this for a while, but you see old Jerry had an accident the other day and he won’t be able to work anymor—” but Nico’s heart dropped, and he stopped listening. He knew this was coming. He knew for a while, but he hoped. Now he didn’t know what he was going to do.
“So what do you think?” Colton asked.
“Hmm what,” Nico said and looked at Sy’s pale face.
“Work for me. Be part of the crew. I know you both always wanted to, and this is a rare opportunity. We run a tight ship. You don’t know when your next chance will be,” Colton said, smiling at them.
“Hmm, we would love to,” Nico said, his mouth dry. Like they had a choice.
“What about you Sawyer,” Colton said when Sy didn’t answer.
“Hmm, yes, it’s a great opportunity,” Sy said, his voice lifeless. Hopefully, they will last a couple of years.
“Great, great, this is wonderful news but you see, I can’t just let you join this easily, it wouldn’t be fair with to the other guys,” he said, but Nico got confused. He never heard about this part.
Colton already got what he wanted. They would be forced to steal for him at his beck and call. What else is he trying to do here?
“You see everyone that joins the crew as to complete a little test, it’s just a formality but since we only recruit the best of the best it is a way to prove your worth.”
“So, we just have to do a job,” Nico said. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. At least they would be doing what they knew best.
“That’s right. I just need you to retrieve a small chest that will be arriving in 3 days by ship.”
“Simple enough, I suppose. Do you know what port it will be arriving at?” Sy asked. There were utterly different procedures between the western and eastern ports.
“The horien port,” Colton smiled.
So much for a couple of years.