The city is dark and the streets are for the most part, empty. Only vagabonds and whores would stay out at such hours. Winter always brought calamity to those that live in the streets, forcing people to stay indoors when the freezing wind of the night made it impossible to step outside without regretting it.
So only those who had no other choice but to stay out, to seek clients, or to simply wither and die, were out beneath the dark clouds that covered the city in darkness.
Only vagabonds, whores, and thieves.
Two shadows moved on a rooftop, their figures hidden beneath long, ragged cloaks. The first one with powerful green eyes and a dark blue scarf that covered her face in its entirety looked at the person next to her.
"Are we really going to do this? Anaid?" her voice taut and unsure " Did I say that right? It's just that-"
"Yes, I am sure. Loretta, are you with me or not?" the other person asks, her voice silvery and elegant " And you said it right, it's not so hard after a while isn't it?"
She had blue eyes, and dirty skin, she glanced at the anxious Loretta, not with reprehension however, but with an almost calming look, like trying to let her know everything would be fine without saying it out loud. Her scarf was a dark green.
"Double yes. Let's do this" she whispers, clearly trying to give herself confidence.
The pair then descended from the roof with practiced care, at least on Anaid's part, Loretta had difficulty reaching the balcony and once she touched the edge of the railing she let go of her hands too soon, slipping and gasping as it seemed she would fall from the third floor of this expensive house when Anaid reacted quickly and pulled her by the hand to safety.
"T-Thanks, you are better at this than I thought you would be" she whispered, placing a hand on her chest, catching her breath.
Anaid then playfully poked her nose, both of them smiling beneath their scarves. Anaid then focused on the closed window, taking out a picklock from a leather pouch behind her and making quick work of it, a satisfying clicking sound made Loretta let out a sigh of relief.
The two thieves entered the ostentatious room, decorated to the brim with paintings, expensive tapestry, and the most elaborate wooden furniture.
"What were we looking for again?" Loretta asked, following close behind Anaid.
"Papers of transport, he must have paid for a safe place to keep her, and I need to know where in this city is that place" she then pointed at a large bookshelf on the wall nearby "look around there, and I will focus in here"
"Sure" Loretta hopped her way to the bookshelf and began taking books out, rushing through their pages in search of the papers before quickly disposing of them "These are all empty"
"Keep looking, it must be around here"
"No, I mean, there is nothing written in these books, they are all empty"
"Reading takes away time from practicing with the blade or fornicating for wanna-be nobles. after all, why waste time learning to do something you can pay others to do for you" Anaid whispered the last part.
"Money does make everything easy, just imagine if we- Oh! I found it!!" Loretta shouted excitedly as she waved the papers in front of her.
"Loretta, don't be loud!" Anaid hushed her as she quickly approached her, snatching the papers from the embarrassed girl, she quickly glanced at its contents "Yes, this is it. Let's leave before-"
Loretta quickly placed her hand on her friend's mouth, looking at the door leading to the rest of the house. Something within her hood moved as she focused on a sound most people wouldn't hear until it had been too late.
"Puppets" she whispered and immediately both of them ran for the window.
Suddenly the door is opened with such force splinters go flying, and two figures appear.
Dressed in expensive-looking dresses in white, with porcelain masks that pretend to be that of a beautiful woman with vivid red lips, but unnaturally large eyes betraying the notion of normalcy, they looked as if a mix of colors had been plastered inside of them, mixed and slowly mixing the further they went from the center until it was all black.
One of them jumped from where it stood, and its arm split in two as if it was a chest being opened, and from within a large, insect-like claw emerged, raised ready to slash at Loretta.
Who in turn, throws a kick at it so fast and strong, that it breaks the claw in half, earning an inhuman shriek of pain from the creature.
As Anaid reached the window and began climbing back to the roof, Loretta turned around and stood between her and the creatures. The one she harmed grew the claw back with incredible speed.
A melee ensues. Loretta kicks the creatures, and the sound of wood breaking as the kick rips their clothes apart, showing a mangled mess of what was once women beneath the delicate clothing. But no matter how much she broke, even if she snapped their necks with one of her kicks, they simply snapped back into place and resumed their relentless assault.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"Loretta! Come!" Anaid shouted from the roof.
Loretta wasted no time and rushed out of the window, her strong legs managing to take her to the roof in one jump. The pair began running away as the creatures too joined them on the roof, their bodies so heavy they fractured the dark orange roof tiles as they stepped on them.
They ran behind both of them with inhuman speed, a feminine scream escaped from their masks, loud and horrific enough that anyone would think it was a cry of mercy from a woman about to be murdered.
Anaid was lifted by Loretta, who ran much faster than her, and with her speed and strength, they jumped far onto another roof. The puppets knew that they could not match Loretta's jump, so they screamed one more time before making their way down, as people began opening their windows and the guards poured into the streets.
Quickly they managed to run far enough that they could go down the streets and hide inside the sewers of the city.
"Spirits, you are heavy," Loretta said between rushed breaths, earning a painful punch on her arm by Anaid, she giggled.
Anaid sat on the ground, and Loretta pulled a small glass vial that shinned in the dark, providing light in the dark sewers for Anaid to read the parchment.
"So, was the paper worth the effort this time?"
As Anaid read the contents her crestfallen eyes told Loretta everything she needed to know. The parchment fell to the wet ground as she sat next to her friend.
"Another misdirection...the bastard made sure to go as far as the border cities to ensure it would be safe" she takes a deep breath, despite the sickening smell of where they were "But we can't stop looking, one of them has to tell us where it is"
"We will take back the sword, I'm sure of it," Loretta said, leaning her head shily on Anaid's shoulder.
"We have to, I need it if I'm ever to take back what is mine" Anaid whispered, exhausted from the many nights of restless sleep "Now let's get out of here, I hate places like these" she stood up, leaving a stunned Loretta to nervously stand up.
"O-Of course, I had forgotten" her mood suddenly sours "Sorry"
"Don't be sorry" her friend replied without hesitation, anger in her tone "I prefer it that way"
It becomes silent enough for only the occasional rat and dripping water to be heard...as well as something else, something that only Loretta could ever listen to first.
"Something is coming, and fast. The puppets must have picked our scent, but even among all this shit?! We need to run!" Loretta approaches Anaid ready to pick her off the ground, but she moves away from her.
"No, we are no longer endangering innocents. And they won't stop searching for us unless we end their misery" Anaid takes a few extra steps in front of her.
"Are you sure you want to do this? I can-"
"Yes, I am sure" Anaid reaffirms her intentions with a firm tone, even harsh at Loretta, who simply nods and lets her friend do what she wants.
Even if it worries her that it may be a mistake.
Then, the noise of heavy, rushing feet is heard, and not long after two pairs of circular lights appear, like the eyes of deers shining at night from the light of torches, they hang on the ceiling of the sewer and quickly approach them.
Anaid raises her right hand and closes her eyes. Then a circle of blue fire appears, followed by strange letters in all the colors of the rainbow that change their shape every few seconds within the circle. And once the eyes are close enough and they scream with their pained voices.
She opens her eyes, which have now turned completely black.
All letters disappear except three, which turn blue like the circle, and then six swords of blue fire appear in front of the circle, being shoot at the creatures like bolts from a crossbow and hitting them even after they try to jump away. The flying swords change direction in midair.
The swords explode after stabbing the bodies, setting them ablaze. They scream in agony as the blue fire gradually turns a more natural orange, burning even after submerging their bodies in the disgusting water. Only vanishing after they no longer move.
Like a stain of blood that is washed away, Anaid's eyes return to normal.
"Now, let's leave this city. The guards probably heard those screams as well.
Loretta nods, she seems mildly concerned at what she just saw. And no one could blame her, few have witnessed the power of a witch and lived to tell the tale, even if she was her friend, there was a deep fear planted within her since birth, like so many children.
As they leave the sewers and move from alley to alley eluding the agitated guards, they finally make it to the bridge of the city and leave, stealing a pair of horses from patrolling guards on the road, Loretta's powerful kicks knock them out without a problem.
They ride until they are far away, and hide inside the woods, a little bit of snow starts to fall as the moon watches over them. Anaid rests on the ground as Loretta manages to start a small campfire.
Anaid lowers her hood and scarf, her hair is very short and black, with a few small scars on her chin and beneath her right eye. Loretta sits next to her and does the same, lowering her hood and unraveling the scarf around her face.
As soon as the hood is down, a pair of long pointy, and slightly furry ears pop out with a few circular steel earrings in each one, and when she finishes unraveling the scarf a short, but not as short as Anaid, brown hair appears, it is jagged and badly cut, she has thin eyebrows and a set of intimidating pointy fangs for teeth. With strange blue lines painted across her face culminating on her forehead, where they make a triangle.
"Any food or alcohol in the cantle bag of those horses?" Anaid said with a tired sigh, her eyes having difficulty remaining open " I would even try some Dream maker at this point"
"Double no, and if I ever see you eating one of those I'm sticking my fingers so deep inside your throat that you will either throw it up or I will take it out of your stomach myself" Loretta replied, using her cloak-like an improvised blanket to cover both of them.
Despite the seriousness in her voice, Anaid chuckles and rests her head on Loretta's shoulder, who blushes and reciprocates the same gesture.
"I fucking hate the woods" Anaid whispers "We have to go to the nearest city soon, next time surely-"
"Shhh, go to sleep P-"
"At all times, Loretta. You absolutely can't let anyone hear that" Anaid sternly shuts her up.
"Of course, sorry" Loretta replies, shaking her head slightly.
"I'm sorry" Anaid replies, her eyes finally closing with a little bit of a frown.
"Don't be, I know it is how it must be. Now sleep, I want to go to the nearby village in the morning, maybe someone will throw us a coin if we stand all pretty on an alley"
"We do that, and it won't be a coin they take out their pants" Anaid replies.
"And if they are women?"
"It's a crazy world, you never know"
The pair of friends laugh, Loretta wildly without a care in the world, Anaid more lady-like despite the joke she just told, but soon, the both of them fall asleep, warm by the fire and each other's company and exhausted from the journey they go through and the difficulties they have endured.
One dreams of a future that can't be and another, with a future that must be.