Beginning:

The forest is dark and looming with smells far removed from the bustle and close quarters of the city. Kent draws his knife and slashes at the branches before him. Behind him he hears the echoes of his pursuers as they chase after him.

“Thief! Get back here!”

Kent doesn’t dare turn as he clutches the sack closer with his other arm. The bread inside is overflowing and far more than he could ever have saved up from the pocket change that he used to collect. He moves faster to keep ahead of the men chasing after him until eventually their shouts fade away.

He stops to rest and takes a drink from the tiny canteen he’d stuffed into the sack. Cold, clean water meets his lips, and it’s some of the best water he’s had from inside of the city. But he has to ration it. There is no way he can show his face back there again, not after the ruckus he’d made in the shopping district.

Kent continues walking, his long wolf ears flicking every time he hears a small noise in the distance. The forest is rumored to harbor all sorts of dangerous creatures, hence the need for the high city walls his father had guarded years ago. However, Kent isn’t afraid of monsters like most townsfolk might be. He’d grown up on the streets and knew a thing or two about fighting.

Water trickles down a rock and he refills his canteen before looking at the tracks on the stream’s bank. They are as big as his head. Kent’s confidence begins to wane at the size of the large footprints and he shudders involuntarily.

The sun is going down and he creeps forward, quietly, in search of a place to spend the night. It is beginning to rain when he finally finds a small alcove in a rock face. He glances into the recesses of the cave and sees it isn’t large enough to accommodate any creatures. He sits down under the cover of the rock and wraps his oversized clothes around him for warmth. He eats a few bites of bread. Those small bites are a full meal, a feast, in Kent’s mouth. He falls asleep against the rock with a contented smile on his face.

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The entrance of the forest is filled with twisted branches that make a delicate arch. But without doubt, I know I need to enter. The forest is brimming with sadness and is very dim. “Luna,” I say quietly to my stag friend, Ko. His antlers light up and project a ball of light that illuminates the surrounding area.

All the creatures are still, no movement, almost as if they are frozen in time. “Maybe it is time to find a resting place?” I ask Ko while petting the top of his head. I feel a drop on my head and see that the sky has begun to cry. Ko starts to walk faster to find shelter from the rain.

We come across a tree with a canopy large enough to shield from the rain. As I slide off of Ko, I kneel before the tree and thank it for its protection. “Thank you green goddess for the protection we receive.” I stand up and grab a saddle bag from Ko’s side. It contains food, medicinal herbs, water, and paper. I take a piece of paper out of the bag and proceed to do my daily routine of spell circles. “Okay Ko, let’s hope it works this time,” I say as I draw a circle with a diamond shape in the center.

The circle begins to glow rapidly as it turns into one hundred balls of tiny lights. “Wow, I can’t believe it!” I say with joy, “I did it Ko, my first hundred light spell.” I suddenly realize that I have no clue how to make the lights go away. I hear a loud creaking noise coming from the distance. Suddenly, I see a massive wooden creature as big as a small cottage with formidable tusks sharper than a sword. I scream. 

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A scream shakes Kent out of his sleep and he sits up with a start. He clutches the bag closely once again to ensure it hasn’t been stolen. He draws his knife and glances around at the forest. The rain has died down and mud puddles are busy drowning the wild flowers. In the distance he makes out a faint light and then a second scream.

Kent rolls up his sleeves and darts into the forest. He may be a thief, but he’s never been good at playing the bystander. As he races forward, he notices that the light is coming from a clearing surrounding a large tree. Tiny balls of light float in the air as if they are bubbles underwater. A large beast made out of twisted roots and wood takes a stab at a large creature with petalled antlers.

At first, Kent believes it to be a monster standoff, until he sees a light elf struggling to control the stag-like creature. She shouts out commands and the stag fires off several types of light magic. Some of the spells glance off the monster’s body, but a few connect and bore holes into the wood.

Kent grins. “Practice,” he says as he draws his knife.

The wooden creature lets out an intimidating roar and Kent’s smile falters. He’d thought about getting some fighting practice in, but this might be too great a target for his first go around. Plus, the light magic is flying around the monster like waves.

Kent scratches one of his ears and looks at the knife in his hand. What good is a knife going to do against wood when even magic is having such little effect? He shakes his head. “Whatever.” He puts the knife between his teeth and hurls himself on the back of the monster like an idiot.

The monster hardly even notices since its body is made of wood without nerves. It continues to hash it out with the light elf, kicking up dirt and jabbing its long tusks at her. But it seems awkward, like its tusks are too heavy to move very quickly. Either way, its attacks are largely ineffective and probably just meant to scare her away.

One on top of its head, Kent takes the knife and stabs out its eyes, light magic and splinters fly everywhere all the while. The beast lets out another earthy roar and bucks forward, throwing Kent through the air. He lands spread-eagle on the ground in front of the elf, now really looking like a fool.

The elf pays him no mind. “Luna!”

A brilliant burst of white light shoots forward, plunging past the beast's tusks and into its already damaged eye. It burrows a hole into its brain and eventually it collapses in a weathered heap under the large tree.

The elf glances down at Kent with one eyebrow raised.

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All of this because of one stupid light spell, I think to myself while looking at this skinny boy sitting on the ground before me. I take his hand and help him up. “Thank you for the assistance, but I could have done fine on my own,” I say as his awkward grin turns into frown.

“Well excuse me!” he says while throwing his hands in my face. “Without me stabbing that monster’s eye out, you would have never been able to kill it in the first place!” He starts to calm down and sheaths his knife with a twirl of his hand.

“I guess you’re right,” I say while I try to hide my embarrassment. “What is your name?” I ask the boy. 

“Why should I tell you my name?” he says, “Tell me yours, first.” 

I look at him all agitated. “Fine, my name is Mara, and you are?” I say with annoyance.

The boy grins and gives a mock bow. “Well, Mara,” he says with mock emphasis. “It was a true pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope we meet again some time.” He turns to take his leave.

“Murus!” I say with a grin.

An invisible wall appears in front of the boy, stopping him in his tracks. “Well.” He turns back around. “What is it that you want?”

After seeing what he could be capable of, I feel like I could use him as my guide. “I want to strike a deal with you.”

The boy laughs. “Shouldn’t it be you that owes me?” He sighs. “What do you want?”

“I want you to guide me through this forest, just until we reach the other side. After that, you don’t have to see me anymore and we can go our separate ways. Is that a deal?” I say with confidence.

The boy laughs again, louder this time. “The way I see it, I don’t get anything out of this deal. So…” He looks at the magic wall behind him and, using his strong legs, does a lithe flip over the top of it, landing neatly on the other side. “...I’ll take my chances on my own.” Then he dashes off into the forest before I can make any reply.

I can’t lose him. It looks like he knows this forest a lot better than I do. I call Ko over to me, grab my saddle bag, and hop on his back, hoping I can find him before something else happens. And I really don’t want to find out by staying here.

I ride on Ko as fast as I can, but still no sign of him. “How is this kid so fast!?” I say out of breath. After a while, I begin to hear voices talking and someone demanding that they let him go. I don’t want to attract any attention so I get off of Ko and pull him to the side. I peer through the bushes and see four men, one of them tying someone's hands. It’s that boy!

It looks like they are trying to take him somewhere, but where? I’ve never seen something like this. They start to leave, so I get on Ko and cast a quiet spell so we don’t attract the attention of the men. “Molfell.” 

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“Come on, man,” Kent grumbles. “I only took a few bites. You got the rest back already, so what do you need me here for?”

The men chuckle amongst themselves. “Oh, we’re taking you back to town to have you thrown in prison. What? You thought we’d just let you walk away if we got our bread back?” The man throws a kick at Kent’s face that sends him sprawling. “Nah, if we just let you go you’ll end up getting sticky fingers again.”

Kent sits up with almost a feral growl, but he can’t do anything.

The men haul him to his feet and begin marching him back towards town. How could he have been so stupid? How could he get caught by the likes of these guys? They had come out of nowhere while he was in the middle of running away from who he’d perceived as being more dangerous.

As they near town, he strains against the bonds, but if anything they were too tight. Then he catches a new smell coming from nearby. It smells like that bossy light elf. Hmm. Things might get more interesting after all.

She follows from the shadows for a while, keeping out of sight and oddly quiet. Kent could pick up all kinds of sounds with his wolf ears, but for some reason he can’t hear how close she is now. Will she make a move? He didn’t think there was any reason for her to. After all, this proved to her that he was a criminal. Who would help out someone who couldn’t be trusted? Though that deal was sounding better all the while.

Suddenly a bright ball flies out of the bushes on his left. He’d been watching for it, so he knows immediately that he needs to duck. The light takes out three of the men in one go, light jumping between them in some strange arcing pattern.

Kent kneels down and pulls the knife out of his boot. He’d dropped it there as soon as he’d been close to capture and he now used it to slice through his bonds.

The last man rushes Kent, but he ducks under the man’s swing and sends a solid punch to his gut. The man inhales sharply, but doesn’t move. He tries to get Kent by the head with his already outstretched arm, but Kent ducks and knocks the man’s feet out from under him with a kick to the shins.

“Just returning the favor for earlier,” Kent says with a smile, pointing at his face.

In this country, it’s customary to take a thief’s belongings as your own when you capture or kill them, but since Kent was the thief in this circumstance, he left all their belongings, including the bread he stole earlier. “Take it all back home with you. You went to all the trouble to get it back. But I don’t feel like going to prison right now. You all have a pleasant morning,” he said with a wave.

Kent turns to find Mara, the light elf leaning against a tree nearby. She has her arms crossed and a slight smile on her face.

Kent hesitates. “I think I’d like to take you up on that deal, now,” he said. After all, it was the least he could do to his benefactor. 

“That’s what I’d hoped you’d say,” she says with a bright grin.

Kent nods and racks his brain for those long buried manners and courtesies. “Well then, Lady Mara, I suppose I should properly make your acquaintance. My name is Kent, and I will serve as your guide until we reach the edge of the forest.”

Mara smiles. “Nice to meet you, Kent,” she says acceptingly. She climbs back onto the stag’s back and points in the direction they came from. “Care to lead the way?”

Kent nods and takes the reins, leading the large creature on foot through the forest. This is going to be an interesting journey, he thinks.

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This is so exciting! I haven’t been around anyone in a while. This could be nice, I hope he likes my food. “So, um, can you tell me anything about yourself?” I say hoping to understand him better. 

“What would you like to know?” he says cautiously.

“Hmm, like what is your family like? Are they nice? What kind of foods do they make!?”

Kent scowls at this and turns away. “I don’t see why that’s any of your business,” he growls.

We continue on for a while in silence while I try to order my thoughts on the subject. We’ve gotten far enough that we just pass the location of our recent incident. I can’t help but feel uneasy about how dim the forest really is. “So how long have you lived here?” 

Kent glances back at me. “I’ve been coming here since I was small, but I’ve lived in the nearby town since I was born.” He doesn’t elaborate, like he is afraid the subject will drift back to questions about his family.

“You know what? How about a break. I can share some of the food I brought with me! After all of that trouble, I’m starving.”

Kent’s face brightens, his thoughts visibly lifting away from his background. It almost looks like he is being lifted from a gloomy pool and is finally allowed to breathe. “That sounds like a great idea.”

I smile at him and nod towards a tree so we can sit down. It’s a big enough tree that if it were to start raining we would have some cover. I grab a sack out of my saddle bag which has a variety of foods. I don’t think that Kent is much of a vegetable type, so I’m going to go with a scone.

“Here, I have scones. They have tiny pieces of walnut and chocolate inside!” 

Kent takes the scone gingerly, like it is worth its weight in gems. “Thanks,” he says nonchalantly, in contrast to his reverent treatment of the scone. He holds it in both hands and nibbles on it slowly.

“No problem, heh.” This is so awkward. I don’t know how to start conversing with him. He seems so...distant. Maybe if I urge him to talk with a story! But that seems so childish. Here goes nothing.

“Hey-” Before I can say anything, I see him rolled over asleep.

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The next morning, Kent wakes up to find me standing over him. She has her arms crossed like she’s annoyed by something. He feels his brow wrinkle in confusion. “Did I do something?”

“Did I do something?” I say mockingly. “I give you some of my food and what do you do in return? Fall asleep. I can’t believe I was going to tell you a story.” She starts grumbling to herself with her back towards me.

Kent rubs the back of his head where his hair is sticking up between his wolf ears. “Sorry. I was just worn out from all the stuff that happened.” He completely overlooks the last statement about a story.

This doesn’t go unnoticed by me. “So you don’t even want to hear my story? Why do you need to be so rude?” She says in a haughty voice. “You know what? Nevermind.”

Kent begins to lead the way, saying nothing, but I do notice the ears on his head droop slightly as my disdain rolls over him. I can tell he’s feeling regretful even though he doesn’t say anything. Finally, he looks over his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says simply. He doesn’t elaborate or ask to hear the story, but it seems genuine.

“Hmm, ok. I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have gotten upset over that. I’m just tired, maybe even a little homesick.” 

This would have been the perfect opportunity to completely mend the relationship if he’d asked her to tell him about her home that she missed. But he didn’t. He answered with, “I’m sorry to hear that you miss them.”

“Would you like to hear about my home?” She finally asked when he didn’t.

Kent reluctantly nodded and I launched into a description of my hometown in the elven kingdom.

“Well, in the Elven Kingdom there are many different classes! And my family is in the upper ring of noble elves. The upper ring is surrounded by gigantic white petaled trees. My home is surprisingly sitting by one of the largest of those trees. I used to go sit by that tree when I felt sad. If I think about it, I don’t even miss my family. If I miss anything at all, it would be the kingdom and some of its people. You see, my family was harsh, but hopefully after this long journey they will finally accept me.” I speak very energetically, but try to be uplifting.

Kent looks perplexed. “How can you not miss your family?”

My face fills with sadness. “My family sees me as a failure. Because I don’t progress as fast as the other elves, as fast as my siblings. I was always bullied by my older siblings, told I would never be able to mean anything to the kingdom.” I want to cry, but I have to stay strong. “Sadly my parents feel the same way. So not only did my family send me away, so did the other noble citizens. I will gain my worth and honor and prove that I am not someone that can be put aside. I will show them how wrong they were.” I start to feel rage and my hair started to glow.

Kent seems troubled by my words and eyes my glowing hair with question. “Sounds like a bit of a hassle. But I understand wanting to be close to your parents. If that’s what it takes, I suppose, I would feel similarly.” He doesn’t say more, and I wonder what sort of relationship he has with his parents that he would say something like this.

We travel on for several more hours. Everytime we encounter a monster, Kent distracts it with his knives while I prepare magic to ultimately defeat it. Sometimes, Kent’s knife is all that is necessary. Some of the monsters are fierce like fire wolves, but others are more defensive like the gigantic bear that we are able to travel around.

After lunch from my saddle bags, we come across some ruins overgrown with trees and vines. Stone archways and stairs lead everywhere. A few yellow rabbits race between the structures when they hear our approach.

“This is the ruins of Vale, a town destroyed by the monster Behemoth. It used to be a rich city that utilized the wealth of the forest,” Kent explains. “It’s known to shelter robbers and criminals now.”

“You should fit right in,” I say with a laugh.

Kent raises an eyebrow but doesn’t correct me since he knows I’m right. “Anyway, there should be plenty of places to find shelter tonight. According to legend, Vale used to even have an extensive underground passage network, so if we can find those, we might be able to avoid getting found by monsters.”

“Wow, I can’t believe something like this was left behind. If the monster Behemoth isn’t here anymore, then why hasn’t anyone come back to civilize the city? It seems like the city wasn’t cared for as much as I think it should.” I say with utmost respect to these beautiful ruins.

Kent gestures to the forest. “It might have been possible at one point, but the forest was hard to navigate when all the roads disappeared with time. Now it would be too much trouble to get here. And anyway, the buildings are long since overgrown by the plants. There might still be some useful things hidden here though. People weren’t prepared for the attack so it was impossible to take everything valuable here. At least, that’s what the robbers living here think.”

“Do...do you think there are some thieves still living here? I really don’t want to deal with other people right now. They are too bothersome.” I say annoyed and concerned.

Kent shrugs. “I’m sure there are some. They live here since it’s safe for them. But I know a few of them, so they shouldn’t bother us.” He glances at my magical beast and full saddle bags. “On second thought, even the ones I know might be interested in what you have. Better to avoid them altogether.” So, even his so-called friends were not too friendly when there was money to be had.

We enter the town of Vale and scour the area. Kent tells me that the thieves are usually holed up in the old tavern where the beer cellar and beds are. We instead find a small stone house and decide to rest on the dirt-strewn floor.

After spreading out our gear, Kent took the first watch since there were dangerous people nearby. I unfold a sleeping mat and curl up against Ko’s warm body. As I fall asleep, I watch Kent staring up at the moonlight, his dark hair catching none of its glimmer.

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I feel my body getting heavier. I hope I can start bonding with Kent more, I think we could be good friends. “Good night.”

I wince at the sunlight piercing through the holes in the wall in front of me. It’s a little past dawn, should I wake him up? He seems more at peace this way. His ears lowered instead of being alerted by his surroundings. I wonder what kind of dreams he must be having to be so peaceful.

Time to wake him up and get going. I tap him on his shoulder. “Wake up Kent, it’s time to move on.” He barely moves a muscle, but flinches his eyes open when he sees my face.

“I have more scones left if you want one before we leave.” The food I have doesn’t go bad because there is a preservation spell on them that my father cast.

Kent’s ears twitch a couple of times as he becomes more alert of his surroundings. “Thanks.” He takes a scone and eats it quickly. “The best route through the forest is through the town of Vale. I suggest we go under it through the tunnel system I mentioned before. But it could be just as dangerous as the forest because our movements are restricted. Also, Ko probably won’t like the underground.”

“Well you see, I don’t think Ko will be a problem. He has this adorable ability to be able to shrink to a size that fits any situation!” Ok here goes nothing. If Ko actually listens to me instead of being stubborn, this will be perfect.

“Ko, come here.” All I need to say is a few simple words. “Subtracterim Utilium.” I whisper into Ko’s ear. Ko bows his head gently and his whole body starts to glow brighter than before. His body starts to grow smaller and smaller to a point that he is no taller than the height of my knees.

Kent leans down and touches Ko’s head. “That’s a handy trick. Has he always been able to do this?” 

My face brightens at the question. “Well you see, when I first met Ko he was huge! And at the time I didn’t know whether to be amazed or terrified. Ko somehow felt my emotions and shrunk to the proper size of my desire. Apparently that meant still being a huge creature. We’ve been bonded ever since.”

Kent nods, though I see something change in his eye as he looks at Ko. It seems he has become fond of him as well. “It’s nice to have a dependable partner by your side.” I can’t tell if he’s talking about Ko or our makeshift alliance. 

“There are many other deer like him. Especially around my kingdom.” I feel like if he were to meet with one of the creatures, he could possibly have one of his own. 

“Tell you what. I’ll give you two choices. We can part ways at the edge of this forest..or you can stay with me, and you can have one of your own magical creatures.”

Kent nods. “I might be interested in that, but maybe I’ll find my own creature.” He pauses. “I’m not really tied down here by any definition. In fact, it would probably be good for me to leave since I’m being hunted by the town for thieving.”

I’m glad he is considering the offers. I can tell that today is going to be a good day.

“Do you know exactly where the tunnel is?” I just realized that I have no clue how to navigate this place. “I mean I guess it is underground, but where is the entrance?” 

“There should be multiple entrances found in most of the buildings. The city was just built above the tunnels. We should be able to get into them if we can find a large flat stone in a corner somewhere,” Kent says.

We keep going and I keep looking around for a large flat stone. Most of the houses and buildings are pretty and old. I kind of like how the vines are growing over the buildings, it looks really pretty in some ways.

“Look at that building! There must be an entry in that one.” In front of us is a huge building, like a manor of some sorts. Tall archways let in sunlight and the roof has long since collapsed.

Kent takes the lead and tears up some of the tiles in the corners of the dining room and kitchen. Eventually he finds a hole large enough to allow Ko to enter. Thankfully the hole slopes downward into the tunnels so Ko doesn’t have to be carried down a ladder. “This should work. Keep an eye out for thieves down here. This is where they hide.”

It feels like we are going down a hill. I really need to get better shoes. “It’s darker than I expected, then again it is underground. I guess I should fix that. “Lunos.” I say quietly to myself.

The ball of light I project seems to be bright enough to light up a few yards. I was not paying attention at first, but the walls of the tunnel have old engravings all along them. I don’t think they say anything so I’m not going to pay that much attention to them.

“It’s been pretty quiet for a while hasn’t it?”

Kent nods thoughtfully. “I’ve only seen a couple of small mice. Maybe the thieves have taken a vacation,” he jokes. “If we keep heading northeast, we should come out at the edge of the city.” He leads the way until he comes to a fork and holds up a hand. “They’re just up ahead,” he whispers. “I can hear them around the corner. Want me to go talk to them?”

I don’t know what the outcomes would be if we were to avoid or encounter them. 

“Is there no way we can avoid them?”

Kent shrugs. “Not sure. But at this point, if they haven’t heard us already, they will even if we take another route. If we were above ground, they’d have already found us. I think it’s probably best if we just blend in with them for a bit and make friends. I do have some experience when it comes to thieves,” he jokes.

Blend in. I’m going to have to try. “Your call.” I say calmly.

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Kent leans around the corner and eyes the thieves with some suspicion. There are close to seven of them, maybe more. “I’ll take the lead. Just follow behind me and go with whatever I say.” He steps out with practiced ease.

“Hey, got any food you can spare? We hit a couple guys close to town, but they only had cash on them,” he says to the group.

The seven thieves sit roughly around a fire, the smoke traveling up an old well that no longer holds any water. They spin around and relax when they hear his words. “We got some,” the largest offers. “Are you ready to pay up for it?”

Kent grins and tosses him a small pouch of money. “Here. This came off a soldier that was pursuing me. Funny I get rewarded instead of him.”

The leader of the small group looks over the money and nods to one of his underlings. A lanky guy hands me a leg of meat from the fire.

The leader notices me for the first time. “Who’s the girl?”

I start to say something, but Kent speaks first.

“She’s on the run as well. Stole those clothes she’s got on. Pretty nice, yeah? We’re headed to the edge of the forest where our pursuers won’t come looking for us.”

I look down at my nice clothes and realize why he’s set up our story like this. The way I look now, I definitely don’t look like a thief on the run. I’m glad I put out the balls of magic light. That probably isn’t very thief-like either.

We take a seat near the fire and Kent blends into their group pretty seamlessly. They make jokes and recall some of their best jobs and the stuff they stole as a result. I don’t quite understand everything they’re saying because their speech is very rough and they use lots of words that obviously mean something other than their original meaning.

The leader looks over. “So your name is Mara? What kind of dress shop did you hit?”

I have to think fast, but I stutter at first. 

“I actually found these clothes hanging on a line beside a really beautiful estate! So I just took them off the line. It didn’t look like they were going to be missed.” Hopefully they buy that.

The leader laughs aloud, making me nervous. “That’s it?”

Kent laughs as well and I can’t help feeling betrayed. “I forgot to mention she’s still a rookie. I found her alone in the forest on the run from the estate guards. She’s actually good in a fight so I didn’t even have to help her take them down. Saw the whole thing myself. ”

He was giving me credit, basically building me a resume while at the same time assuring our friends that I wasn’t a plant. The problem arose with the leaders’ next words.

“Good in a fight, you say?” He looked me up and down. “I’d like to see that.”

Kent blinked for a second but quickly recovered and smiled widely. “Your funeral. She used to be a student at a magic institute.” He was just spouting lies at this point. “Apparently those cost money, but she snuck in and took a few courses. Picked up a few things as a result.” He turns to me. “Show them some of that magic,” he suggested.

Since we aren’t in an actual battle, I’m just going to show them my light spell. Maybe I should exaggerate it a bit.

“Lunos!” I say really loudly. A sizable ball of light projects above all of our heads.

To my side, I see Kent raise a throwing knife and hurls it at the ball of light. I grit my teeth, not sure what he’s trying to do.

The knife slices the ball of light and it explodes like lightning, throwing sparks and fire in several directions. The thieves shriek for a second before they realize that it’s mostly harmless from this distance.

Kent laughs at their expressions. “That’s what happens when it hits someone,” he lies. Really, I lost control of the spell and it became volatile.

The leader looks impressed with my basic magic. I guess it really is rare for thieves to become magicians or vice versa.

Kent takes a few minutes to pick up some gossip on soldiers in the area and they ask him about the town’s recent activities. He tells them what we know and learns some routes to avoid. I’m slightly impressed by his ability to gather information. I suppose it is a thieves trade.

“Well, we should be off soon. The quicker we get to the forest border, the better.”

“Which way are you headed?”

“West,” Kent lies easily. “We have some connections up in Bakland, so we’ll lay low there for a few months. Then maybe head back when everything’s blown over.”

The leader nodded and gave Kent a firm handshake. “I’ll be interested in learning more about that magic of yours if you’re headed back this way,” he tells me.

I just nod as we head further into the tunnels.

As soon as we’re far enough away, I round on Kent. “I can’t believe you put me on the spot like that. What if the spell didn’t work the way you wanted it to? Everything could have gone to dirt if that happened.” I say while trying to stay calm.

Kent laughs lightheartedly, not like he did while around the thieves. “I knew you could do it. And I know a little about magic theory myself, even if I can’t use it. They were surprised even by just a light spell, so anything would have worked. They were very impressed and you did good playing it up a bit.”

If any spell would have worked then I should have taken the time to do a harder spell to get some practice in. I don’t just know spells though.

“I wonder how long it will take to get to the end of the tunnel.”

“Probably another couple of hours at most. We won’t see any other thieves down here. Those guys were the only source of information in this area. If there were more, they would have mentioned their information as coming second hand from someone else.”

We walk for a while before coming to a dead end. Kent climbs a ladder up to a flat stone and moves it aside. He motions me up and I help Ko get outside. I’m glad the thieves didn’t take a special interest in him.

It’s raining again outside, so we spend the night in a building on the edge of Vale.

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I sit against a column and watch as Kent falls asleep. The rain does seem peaceful, and sad. At least it’s a little warm and not freezing while raining. Ko walks up to me and lays on the right side of me. I’m going to stay up since they both decided that that was my job. I laugh a little to myself.

I feel my eyes drift closed. I guess I haven’t really gotten much sleep since I left home.

Kent shakes my shoulder and I open my eyes. “Hey, it’s time to get up.”

I open my eyes and realize it’s daytime.

“I took the second watch,” he says.

“Sorry, I was going to stay up, but I fell asleep I guess.” I say while in a yawning tone. It’s still a little rainy outside, but at least it’s not pouring. I say a spell that protects us from the rain. Very similar to the murus spell, if not the same.

He shrugs. “All good. Nothing happened.” He looks off in the distance. “The forest’s edge should be a few more miles to the northeast. We should get going. The stone gorge is coming up, so it will slow us down quite a bit.”

We set out with Ko at his normal size and reached the gorge around noon.

“This looks like a lot. Who knew that something like this existed in a forest? I mean besides you apparently.” 

Maybe if we were to both get on Ko we could get around this faster.

“What do you think of getting on Ko so we can get through faster?”

Kent nodded. Ko’s long legs wound easily through the rough terrain, so he hopped up behind me.

“You know, sometimes I’m glad that Ko is this big. I mean originally he was a lot bigger, maybe even bigger than my estate.” 

Ko keeps on and eventually starts to go faster. Within an hour or so we reach towards the end of the gorge. There is a large pond after we exit the gorge that has large trees on both ends and some beautiful green crystals just a few feet above the ground.

“It’s been awhile since I've seen crystals like these. They are used to restore energy. When one of my people was injured after battle in the past, they would use these crystals to help them have the energy to return home.” Or so I was told, but I’ve never actually seen them in action before.

Kent picks one up and rolls it around in his fingers. “Hmm. I’ve been told that these can also be used in weapon making. Its energy strengthens weapons and prevents them from breaking. I’m surprised the thieves haven’t found them and taken them already. This area must be hard to get to because of the gorge.”

He’s right, these crystals were also used to make some of my people’s weapons, especially swords. If I’m correct, Ko’s kind is able to make weapons out of certain crystals like these. But it takes a day or two.

Kent takes the crystal in his hand and rubs it against the edge of his favorite knife. “It’s best to use it when crafting a weapon, but it’s also a good sharpening stone. I think I’ll keep this one.”

“I’m going to take a few of the larger ones. They can become very useful. Maybe I can have Ko make us some weapons. Sorry, forgot to tell you he could do that.”

I put some crystals almost as long as my arm in the saddle bag. The bag is only able to fit about 5 crystals. 

“Maybe we can find a town. We could locate a tavern so we can get some food, and an actual room to sleep in.”

We’ll have to be careful with the crystals because they are super rare. I really don’t need to go through anymore trouble.

“I’m hoping that we will hit a town pretty soon. I’m running low on food, so maybe I could get the chance to restock. What do you think, Kent?”

“Sounds like a good plan. There should be a town near the edge of the forest up ahead. We can probably get there before dark if we hurry,” he replies.

I wonder if getting on Ko would be a good idea. I haven’t had trouble with people seeing him so far, but I fear that the more places he’s seen, the more people will try to take him. 

“How about we both ride Ko? It would be very accommodating if we want to get to the town before dark like you said.”

Kent climbs up without a word and we continue on towards the town.

I reach my head up to Ko’s ear and whisper Celer, so that we move faster. After that, all the scenery goes by like a blur and we reach the town like it was right in front of us.

The town has cobblestone walkways and rustic wooden buildings surrounding every inch. There are quite a few taverns, so I’m sure that we can find somewhere to stay for a bit. After riding for a while I start to see a stable. I am sure that the stable is only a few minutes walk from a tavern I saw a little ways back.

“I’m going to stop Ko here and take him to the stable up ahead. If you want to go ahead and start looking for anything we might need then I’ll be around here when I’m done with Ko.” 

Kent nods. “Alright. I’ll see you in a bit.”

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While Mara goes to the stable master to pay for Ko to stay for a few nights, Kent heads to one of the rougher looking bars. He looks both ways to make sure Mara hasn’t followed him and then ducks into the dim light of the bar. The air here is thick with smoke and sweat. A bartender in the corner serves ale and several kinds of meat to the shady looking customers.

Over in one corner, Kent sees a table is being used for cards. He checks his pockets and finds he has a few small bits of crystal from the deposit they found earlier. They’re nothing compared to the stuff Mara kept, but they should be worth enough to get him into a few rounds.

Kent slides into an open seat, setting down the crystal shards on the table. “Mind if I join?”

The shady figures give him a look. “Haven’t seen you around here before,” one of them comments. 

“Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve been in Dike. Got held up on the other side of the forest. Little misunderstanding with the guards of that town,” he said. He intentionally left it a little vague while implying that he had some issues following the law.

The other figures noticeably relaxed at these words and this ended up helping him to blend in with them better.

They deal him in and Kent checks his cards. It’s a pretty good hand, so he pretends to bluff, causing the other guys to believe their cards are better than they are. In the end, he reveals his hand and takes portions from several guys. They play a few more rounds before Kent moves on to another table. He’s learned through trial and error to not make a man bleed for too long or they become frustrated enough to become violent. So he moves from table to table, winning some, losing a little, before winning again. He’s careful to let them see him lose just enough that they don’t become too suspicious.

Several hours later, another shadow blocks the door. Kent looks up to see Mara glancing around the bar before spotting him. He quickly dumps his winnings into a pouch on his belt while she crosses the room. Most of the guys laugh at her dainty appearance, not something you’d see in such a rough bar.

“You know, I remember saying that I was going to take Ko to the stable and stating that you should look around and see if you can find anything that we might need. Or is that a conversation we didn’t have? I can’t remember,” she says sarcastically.

Kent knows it’s time to leave. He stands up, ignoring Mara’s words and ushers her out of the bar before the rough crowd gets any ideas on the fine jewels dangling from her ears and necklace. Honestly, this place isn’t meant for someone like her. “To be fair, I collected a lot of things I thought we might need,” he retorts.

Mara crosses her arms. “What? Money from scamming those guys?”

“Hey, it’s only a scam if they realize it,” Kent says, hiding the cards up his sleeve, while also surprised that she had the insight to see what the rough crowd couldn’t.

“Let’s just go,” she says in exasperation, dragging him off to one of the nicer taverns where she’s already rented out a room for the two of them.

“Hey, I was gonna visit the stores now that I have all this coin to work with,” Kent complains.

“How about this time, we go together? I really don’t need anymore trouble. I already hid the crystals that were in the saddle bag underneath the mattresses just to be safe.”

Kent closed his eyes and shook his head. Of all the obvious places to hide something. He’d find a better spot when he returned. In the meantime, Mara led the way towards the bright shopping district. Not exactly the place Kent had planned to spend his money. The black market often had better wares and weapons. Often, if you were headed out of town anyway, you could find a few hot weapons that the owner needed to get rid of, so it worked out pretty nicely.

They visited the market and Mara replenished their food supply. Kent bought a few things here and there like rope and other necessities, but he saved most of his winnings for later. Mara didn’t seem to notice.

When they returned, Kent cut a slot behind the henge of the closet door, opening up a small hiding place. He then tucked their crystals inside along with his winnings.

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It’s getting late. I wonder if there are any blacksmiths in the area, if that were the case then I could get a good weapon made for myself. Kent is already on the bed sleeping, so I guess I’m going alone. I should stop by Ko and see how he is doing. 

The sky is fading from its golden yellow and pink colors, to a dark blue sky filled with stars. Everytime I see stars it reminds me of home. I can’t help but realize that the stars distracted me from how beautiful the streets are at night.

“I never thought that the streets would be filled with people this late, huh K-,” 

I almost forgot that Kent was sleeping right now back in the tavern. I’m starting to get used to having someone with me, but I need to stop being used to it. After all, Kent could decide to leave at any time, couldn’t he. I should try not to think about it and just focus on finding a blacksmith. Maybe there are some people who know of one nearby.

“Excuse me, sir?” I ask a man nearby, “do you know of any blacksmiths here in town? My father needs a new axe.” It’s best if I don’t let anyone know that I have a rare crystal that I want forged into a sword. That could get me into some serious trouble.

“No, I’m sorry.” The man responds.

A couple hours have already gone by, and still no sign of a blacksmith. Maybe not every town has one. I guess I’ll head back and stop to see Ko on my way to the tavern.

Ko sees me and Whines a little bit, so I think I’ll give him an apple. They have some apples in a bag hanging on another stall, so it should be fine.

Kent is probably still sleeping, like always. The door creaks as I open it, and Kent is gone.

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As soon as the door closes as Mara heads out, Kent bolts upright and takes his money and portion of crystals from the hidden pocket behind the door henge. The reason for the gambling was to earn money to pay for a forging order.

The night air is cold, but Kent briefly sees Mara staring up at the sky with a look of wonder and sadness, as if she’s remembering something. Kent disappears down a back alley without her noticing. Back at the bar, he asked around about blacksmiths. Often the best smiths in town aren’t some righteous little shop on the corner of the market. They’re money makers to the core, re-forgers of hot weapons and assistants to the minority because such groups are willing to pay more. Thieves, by nature, have more money than regular customers.

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Kent creeps in the moonlight between some dilapidated houses and finds a small door leading to the cellar of an abandoned home. Though the house is in ruin and the windows are all knocked out, there is still a bit of smoke rising from one of the chimneys. Found it.

Kent knocks on the cast iron door. A small slat opens near his waist, and Kent slides five gold coins under the slat door. The slat closes and the door opens.

“You’re new. How’d you know it was five today?”

“Your friend Bardy sent me,” Kent replied easily.

The blacksmith grunts. “Bardy’s good about bringing in new customers. But he’s cautious, so I rely on him. What can I do for you?” His frame is large with thick muscles down both arms and a long black beard. His hair is slicked back with what looks like grease and falls in tangled strands down his back.

“I need to place an order. I have material, and I have payment. I’d like a knife made but I need it to not be easily found. I know this sounds like a generic request of a thief, but I need it to be easily hidden on my person so that I’m not discovered at entry checkpoints. However, it still needs to be usable. I can’t have it falling apart after one strike at an armored monster.”

The blacksmith seems to consider this. “That would have to be some pretty valuable material if it’s like that. To give it stealth characteristics requires good quality inlaid gems at the very least. And the metal would then have to be compatible.”

Kent smiles. “I can do you one better.” He drew the large crystal from inside his clothes.

The blacksmith’s eyes widen. “You weren’t messing around, were you. How much did this cost you?”

“A pretty penny, so don’t think about substituting it for a lower grade material. I’ll know immediately if you do,” Kent warns.

The blacksmith nods. “When do you need it?”

“Tonight, if possible,” Kent says.

The blacksmith nods. “Well the sun just went down, so we just opened. I’ll get right to it, but for your request, I’m going to need you to stick around. I have a design I think you’ll like but I’ve not gotten the chance to try it out. It requires your presence to construct.”

Kent hesitates. He needs to get back before Mara goes back to the inn. But why did it matter? It’s not like he’s spending her money or crystals. This was his. “Alright. Let’s get started.”

After many hours:

“Almost done,” the blacksmith urges. The knife is masterfully crafted for precise movement and flexibility. Combined with Kent’s fighting style, it was a great weapon. “This is a soul weapon. It’s actually a form of outlawed magic that will connect it directly to your living being. Not only can it never be stolen, but it will literally disappear into your body when not being used. Guards can search all they like and they’ll never find it.”

Kent nods. “It’s a good design. How do we get it to that point?”

The blacksmith pulls a small knife from a drawer. “Cut your hand with this.”

“My hand?” Kent sounds appalled.

“Trust me,” the man replies.

Kent takes the knife and slits his hand from index finger to wrist. He tries not to flinch but the blacksmith insisted that it be a deep cut. Next, the blacksmith picks the blade up with some tongs because it’s still red hot. The light color of the crystal has become dark with the blacksmith’s unorthodox smithing and dark magic. The blacksmith draws the knife closer and plunges it into Kent’s hand.

Skin sears and blood burns against the hot blade. Kent can’t help but cry out from the pain. The blacksmith releases it with his tongs, and as if the blade has a mind of its own, the knife plunges deeper into his hand. Soon it’s up to the hilt. Finally, it disappears completely. Abruptly the searing pain goes away, leaving only the cut in his hand to still cause him discomfort.

“Good. The knife has become one with your soul and has converted into your soul. Now, it’s not even physically in your body anymore. This crystal was of the highest quality. It would not have been successful without this material.”

“How do I bring it out?” Kent asks. 

The blacksmith shrugs. “Just think about having it in your hand.”

Abruptly, the knife appears in his hand exactly as Kent imagined it. After some trial and error he discovers that the knife can appear in whatever orientation he desires, but only in the hand that he slashed. He pulls the money from his earnings at the bar. “Your payment.”

The blacksmith thanks him with a sort of knowing look. “Be careful who you let see that technique. It’s considered cursed since it becomes one with your soul. Government officials and some noble races especially despise it.”

Kent nods his understanding while wrapping up his still-bleeding hand. It will take a long time to heal up, but at least the knife doesn’t open the wound when it appears.

With that finished, Kent opens the cellar door and heads back towards the inn. It is already early in the morning and the stars are long gone. Mara will probably be worried about him since he didn’t return all night. Kent does his best to sneak into the room quietly and soon falls asleep on his bed since Mara isn’t up yet. He closes his eyes and tries to get as much sleep as he can before she wakes up.

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I’ll just go to bed, this has gotten to a very annoying point in the journey. I fell asleep pretty fast last night, but I think I was half awake at some point. I heard something last night.

Of course as I get up, Kent is laying on his bed sleeping.

“Hey!” I say with a stern voice. I go over and rip the covers off of Kent. 

“Wha-?” Kent sits up suddenly, hands over his head protectively.

“You know, if you’re going to be gone the whole night then you could at least leave a note or something to let me know at least a little bit of info on what you’re doing!” I say as I see a sizable cut on his hand. I’ll calm down a little.

“What happened to your hand? Did something happen while you were out?” I don’t want to pry into his life since he is here and ok, but I want him to trust me with something. Even if it’s not a lot.

Kent looks at his hand and quickly covers it with his long sleeve. “It’s nothing. I did it to myself. I was working with a blacksmith all night.”

A blacksmith, I looked for intel on a blacksmith in the area for hours. Somehow, of course, Kent found one pretty easily.

“Oh-” I’m trying to collect my words.

“Well, did it go well? I mean, did you find what you were looking for?”

Kent nods and reaches his wounded hand under the bed. When he pulls it back into sight, there’s a strange looking knife in his hand. “Blacksmiths in this area aren’t really trustworthy, nor respectable. If you’d found one, they’d have likely cheated you out of your money. I can go back with you and have him craft you a sword next, but I’ll need another day in the bar to earn some more funds.”

“Ok, that actually...that works for me.”

My chest has been having this really heavy feeling lately. Almost like syrup is being pumped into my heart. I need to just try and focus.

“How much time do you think you need to be able to make enough money for the blacksmith?”

Kent shrugged. “An afternoon? Depends on how many losers are at the bar and how much money they can stand to throw away. If there aren’t many, it could take a couple of days.” He stood up and the knife in his hand disappeared behind his leg when she wasn’t paying attention. 

“I’ll be walking through town when you’re done. I want to take Ko for a walk later, are you ok with bringing Ko with us to the blacksmith?” Ko really needs to walk a little. The stable could be a little tight for him.

Kent nodded. “Sure. It’s down some back alleyways, but with his shrinking ability, he shouldn’t have any trouble. There’s a courtyard where we can leave him. It’s a rough neighborhood, but he shouldn’t be seen there.”

“Ok, I’ll be in the stable when you’re done then.” Kent leaves.

I might as well grab everything we need and put it in the saddle bags. I’ll put the crystals at the bottom of one of the bags, then I should try to keep the food separate in another bag. I don’t think mixing our food with clothes and whatnot is a good idea.

“Phew! I think I packed everything. Now all I have to do is take it all to the stable...I will have to take a couple trips at least.”

Ko should be happy to see me, I’ll give him a few apples, the yellow ones. Those are his favorites. As I walk into the stable, Ko sees me. I remember seeing Ko for the first time, He is completely different than when we first encountered each other.

“Today is your lucky day Ko. We are leaving, so you don’t have to stay in this cramped up stall anymore. Now let me put these bags on you ok?”

His fur is getting long. It’s almost like he’s growing a mane. At least it’s soft, I like brushing through his fur. I already gave the keys to the innkeeper, so I’ll just wait here for Kent.

Kent walks into the stable holding a good sized sack with a grin on his face. He looks happy. That’s a good thing.

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Kent climbs up on Ko’s back and we set out for the blacksmith.

“It’s just down that way. I’ll direct you when we get past the old church,” he says.

As they near the edge of town, fewer and fewer people can be seen. They pass an old guy in nice clothes riding a white horse and a young peddler pulling a cart. The buildings are cumby and most remain vacant. For some unseen economic reason, this town has been in decline and the fewer townspeople has left the outskirts abandoned.

“Take this next alley,” Kent guides.

Suddenly, something covers the sky over their head. I lift my hand, trying to see what is above us. A dagger appears in Kent’s hand, but before he can do anything, talons stretch out and snatch both of us from Ko’s back.

In an instant, both Kent and I are high in the sky. Kent decides not to stab the beast, as that would drop us several hundred feet.

“What is it?” I ask.

Kent looks up at the beast’s head. It has a beak and piercing golden eyes. “Head and wings of an eagle, body and tail of a lion. You know what that is, right?”

I stop struggling. “A griffin?”

The griffin caws in a beautiful peal of laughter. “That’s right,” he says tucking his head down by his feet so that he can look at us mid-flight. “A bit smaller than I imagined. But you two are definitely the ones.”

Both Kent and I look at each other. “The ones?”

“The ones I was sent to retrieve.”

“And where are you taking us?” Kent asked.

“To the city, of course. Did you not know this?”

Kent says nothing in reply. The city of the griffins? The city of legend? Few humans ever get to see the city’s glory, let alone half humans like Kent. It is said to be found in the clouds of the unscalable mountains to the far north. Griffins are an ancient intelligent race, similar to elves, with whom they keep good company. They are known for their history of architecture and craftsmanship. 

“Ah, yes. The city,” Kent says, as though he knew from the start.

“Kent, what are you doing?” I hiss.

Kent holds up his hands. “Why not? It isn’t every day you get to visit Griffin City.”

The griffin glides with the regal elegance of a higher species. His wings are strong and carry us on the high winds toward the northern mountains. In moments, the little town at our backs disappears completely.

An hour passes, but we travel hundreds of miles in that time. The wind stings our faces, but the sun warms us and the griffin tucks us close to his feathers.

Soon, a giant city appears on the horizon. The foundations rest on the highest peak in the northern range. I’ve heard stories, but each building looks like it’s own palace or cathedral. The architecture goes beyond complicated and exquisite. Despite their individual detail, they mesh uniformly so that the whole city looks like one giant palace.

The griffin lands on a raised dais of gold, and we drop from his grasp.

Kent gives an exaggerated bow. “Thank you, kind griffin, for taking the time to bring us here. We are honored to be in the city of legend.”

I look around at the architecture, leaving the formalities to Kent since this plan was his idea anyway. A few steps away, a grand arch leads into the heart of the city and a few other races can be seen here and there. None of them look to belong in the city. They must all be visitors like we are. Some are dressed in the fine clothes of nobles while others’ best clothes leave something to be desired.

When the griffin leaves, Kent comes to stand at my side. “I think that finely dressed guy that we saw before the griffin showed up was supposed to be here. He was on a white horse, so maybe the griffin mistook Ko for a white horse?”

“What do we do now?”

Kent shrugged. “They all seem to be going somewhere. Let’s follow for now.”

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Seeing all these people dressed the way they are reminds me of home. Not a lot, but enough to bring back some memories of the city square. If I remember, the square was called...Silk Road? My memory is not very good when it comes to places I rarely liked or visited. I have a few bad memories with the other nobles.

“I wonder if there is some kind of important meeting. If we aren’t the people the griffin was looking for, what is there to know that something bad will happen? I mean It’s not exactly our fault?”

Kent kind of shrugs, but he pats my shoulder. As if that helps. “I’ll talk us out of it. Don’t worry. We are the leaders of Dike, after all.” He gives a mischievous smile.

We better pull this off, I don’t know what a griffon would do if they knew we were lying. But maybe, just maybe we do pull it off. I wonder if there are any good shops, I’d like a good souvenir if we are leaving anytime soon.

Everyone is walking into what looks like an arena. In the center of the arena are 3 griffons. Each griffon has a different crown with different details and colours. Maybe it means what different political standings each of the three griffons have. The griffon in the middle is very beautiful, with grey feathers, and the inside of the wing has white feathers. The crown is gold with leaf-like details.

The griffon of the left side has brown feathers with peachy light brown coloured feathers on the inside of the wing. The crown is gold with bronze blossoms. The Last griffon on the right looks very tense. Black feathers cover its whole body and the crown is silver with what looks like thorns for its details. While each griffon has its own unique look, all three have a golden band on their right ankle.

“I wonder what they have to say.” I ponder as we sit.

“Welcome, leaders of respective areas. For this year’s contact, I wanted to inform you of some new regulations we’ve implemented. Firstly, you are free to browse the shops and markets here in Griffin City. However, other races are not permitted into the royal palace unless given special permission from the royal family. Keep in mind that you are visitors here and you may be forced to leave if you cause troubles for us. That said, I hope you enjoy your stay at the Feather Inn.”

The griffin speaking bowed and stepped back, allowing the next to step forward. It seemed this meeting was related to the trade situation between countries. This meeting was essential for Griffin City to receive the necessary resources since it was so difficult to get to. Plans for trade had to be made in advance so that ambassadors of Griffin City could retrieve and deliver goods on the city’s behalf.

Thankfully, Dike wasn’t the center of trade, so there wasn’t much we had to say. Still, the griffin’s gleaming eyes were hard to stare into. Kent took the lead without even discussing it with me.

“Leaders of Dike, your usual shipment of ten thousand sacks of Ebony Seed will be delivered in full next month. As per the arrangement, your payment of five hundred gold will be delivered at that time. This time we would like to trade for Beough Root. Shall we say three hundred gold for two thousand sacks?”

Kent stood as many leaders had done and said something none of the leaders had said. “I’m afraid our stores of Beough Root were hit hard this summer. Perhaps we could sell you a thousand sacks for two hundred gold instead?”

The griffin eyed Kent with sharp eyes. “Don’t you think that is an exorbitant price?”

“Not at all,” Kent replied. “Beough Root only grows on the edges of the forest bordering our territory. Seeing as it’s hard to come by and dangerous to produce, don’t you think you are getting a pretty good deal? We’ve had many monsters recently in the area they are usually prevalent. We had to hire many strong adventures just to deal with the problem before we could search for Beough Roots this year. Not only did it damage an area we usually find Beough Root, but it also caused us to spend more out of pocket in the harvesting process. For these reasons, I think a thousand sacks for two hundred gold is very reasonable.”

The other leaders seemed shocked that Kent would even think about arguing with the proud griffin race. The griffin eyed Kent once again. “You are right that you are the only territory where Beough Root grows naturally. I will agree to the price this time, because we need it urgently, but in the future I hope you can charge a more reasonable price before we resort to other methods of obtaining it.”

Kent bowed as the other leaders had done and took his seat.

“Why did you do that?” I asked him.

“Eh, might as well help out Dike since we are here to represent them. Also, that was a really low price for something as useful as Beough Root.”

The meeting lasted a few more hours as each territory agreed on a price for their goods. After that, the griffins dismissed the visitors. Most of them headed for the Feather Inn and we followed them there.

I thought that the Inn would be unlike any regular Inn, but the closer we got to it, the more regular it looked. It is as if the griffons decided they needed to make the Inn more human? Right before we reach the wide open steps of the Inn I see there is an arched sign with gold letters. I read the words out loud. “Welcome to Feather Inn.” It is very...regular.

I can’t help but worry about Ko. I don’t remember a time I have left him alone other than in a stable. Thinking about it will probably keep me up at night. Then again, being here in this mess will also keep me up at night.

“It was very cheeky of you, what you did.”

“Why not? It’s not like they’re going to throw us out over something like that. And this isn’t a place that we were intended to attend anyway, so it's not like we’ll have to deal with the outcome. If anything, I just helped Dike out. Also that griffin had everyone scared stiff. He just named a price and everyone agreed. Kind of pompous don’t you think?”

What Kent is saying is true. It is like they don’t have a mind of their own, but not in a mind controlled way. It reminds me of fear. The griffins seemed respectable to me, and they were very orderly. 

We reach the desk with all the room keys. There are many slots and each slot has a territory name on it, all in alphabetical order. “Do you feel like looking around more? Or should we just head to our room?” 

“I think going to our room is in our best interest for now, I don’t really want the other leaders getting suspicious. Some of them probably know what the real leaders of Dike look like.” Kent says in a quiet tone.

I found our keys, so we headed to what looks like a weird symbol? I think it is part of the griffon language. I flip the key over and there is a regular english number. 

“Whew! Those were a lot of stairs!” I exclaim, out of breath. “Who knew that the entrance to all the rooms would lead to a spiral staircase? I mean It is completely insane, am I right Kent?”

Kent stared at the complicated staircase structure. “The griffins are known for their unique architecture.”

“You’re right, but then again they also fly, so they probably didn’t think about how a lot of regular people are out of shape. Especially when it comes to stairs.” 

“That’s true. Or maybe they just didn’t care since they only get visitors a few times out of the year.”

A few times. I wonder if the townsfolk from each territory know about this city, or if it is kept secret. We finally reached our room. There are two beds with honey yellow bedding, and the floors are stone. I miss home. I miss how white and wooden things were, and there isn’t very much wood around.

Kent declared he’d be going out for the evening. I wasn’t sure how he could stand to be awake for days upon days at a time. But he didn’t wait for my response and lithely skipped down the complex staircase.

He seemed in a good mood, and that worried me.

Kent left the Feather Inn under the cover of darkness. He’d dressed in a dark cloak he kept in his bag for times like this. He looked up and ducked into thicker shadows as the outlines of griffins passed by. They’d be guarding the inn more than usual because they were more on edge by the presence of the visitors.

As they should be, Kent thought to himself. He ducked into some narrower streets, but unlike human towns, there weren’t many alleyways. This city was too bright and open for Kent’s taste. Still, it practically smelt of wealth. It was a good hunting ground.

Without drawing attention to his actions, he’d scoped out a few buildings on their way through the town. One was the palace building in the distance. Another was a large warehouse decorated like a cathedral. There had also been various smithies and workshops lining the path here. They made master wares and their craftsmanship was top-notch.

Kent knew that it was very unlikely that he’d be able to carry much out of this town. Even if he gathered all the gold he could carry into a bag, it wouldn’t be worth a whole lot. On top of that, it was difficult to steal bulky items like gold bars. It was far better to steal things like art and magic items whose value was exponentially increased. It was worth more than the materials it was made from and that made such items the targets for thieves. Thieves like Kent.

Kent crept along the road, under the cover of awnings and balconies. Eventually, he came to a workshop that boasted magical item crafting and gold trinkets. It was like a playground for someone like Kent. He grinned, a little too eager.

Griffin buildings were slightly different from human ones. For one, the doors were far bigger. The problem was that the doors were put on the top floors because griffins flew into them from the highest point possible. There were no ground-level doors for safety reasons. Kent’s activity was proof that such precautions were necessary.

The building was composed of gold and polished marble. It wasn’t the kind of building whose walls could be torn through with a knife. So, that left climbing as the only option.

Kent took hold of a gold-plated drainpipe and began hauling himself up a bit at a time. The reason he chose this building first was because it only had two floors. Still, it was dangerous as a griffin’s version of two floors was more like four human floors. Griffins liked room to fly, after all. 

As he neared the top, the wind grew stronger, and Kent’s fingers were freezing from the marble and gold drainpipe. Finally, he reached the top. But the drainpipe didn’t connect to the entryway. It ran to the corner of the roof instead. Kent had seen this from the ground, so it wasn’t a surprise, but the smooth marble prevented him from finding cracks or ledges to move laterally towards the door.

He pulled himself up a little higher and grabbed the edge of the tile roof. The roof was steep and the tiles slick, but he managed to crawl up. Then he moved over to where the door was. He approached the edge cautiously and swung his body down. Hanging four human floors above the ground unnerved even him, but he calmed his heart and began rocking back and forth. The overhang wasn’t wide, so it was a simple matter of letting go at the height of his arc and landing in the open doorway.

Smiling at his luck, Kent began searching the top floor. It seemed this floor was the reception floor. It also functioned as the workshop as the chimneys didn’t have to extend all the way to the ground floor. Most of the trinkets were cheaper on this floor. A few caught his eye, but he decided to wait and see what else he could find.

In the back was where he found some of the more valuable items. They were all locked behind glass display cases, but he could tell at a glance that these items were enchanted with magic. The problem was that most of them were ornamental and flashy. This raised it’s value, but Kent wasn’t just looking for valuables. He wanted to find something that would help him in the future. He could worry about the value of other items after he’d found something that would make it easier to sneak in and out of buildings like this.

He looked for more functional items. It seemed that this craftsman focused on elemental magic. This was common, but didn’t mean that the items were of poor quality. Some were, but a lot had pretty good function. There were swords enchanted with burning magic, cups enchanted with ice magic, and stoves that could cook food without fuel. It seemed the craftsman especially enjoyed selling fire magic enchantments.

Some of the items tempted Kent, but most were too bulky to carry down to the ground. It would have to be something small.

Kent found the entrance to the first floor (there were only two floors in this griffin building) and as it was meant for a creature with wings, the entrance was just a hole in the floor. Kent was at a loss for a moment, but then he found some rope on the upper floor. It was meant for hanging items for display, but it seemed strong enough to hold Kent’s weight, so he used it to slide down to the ground floor. 

It was good he hadn’t tried to break through the ground floor wall. He found out that the griffin craftsman used the lower floor as his living quarters. One room was full of soft pillows and similar items that the griffin stretched out on to sleep. Kent snuck past and began searching this area. There wasn’t much to see at first glance. It had a kitchen, living room, and dinning room. They were all richly designed and ornate, but useless to Kent. The items in the display cases would have been better than gold forks and spoons.

Then he found a chest hidden in a corner. The chest was hidden under the tablecloth of an end table. Kent only found it by combing the room thoroughly. Inside, Kent found several items that seemed to be of better quality than the items for sale “upstairs”. 

These items were different. There weren’t many items with fire magic and instead, they focused on actual functionality. The item that most caught Kent’s attention was a bracelet with the inscription: Northern Wind. It seemed it gave the wearer the ability to control a bonded wind. It was simplistic in design and the material was a burnt bronze color.

Another item was a ring made of marble. A small tag connected to it told him that the ring stored magic power. It was useless to Kent, who couldn’t use magic, but he decided it would be very good from someone like Mara who would be in danger if she ran out of magic power during a fight.

At that moment, Kent heard a noise from the griffin’s bedroom. He hurriedly shut the chest, taking the bracelet and ring with him. If he’d had time, he might have searched through the chest some more, but it was best to leave with what he’d already found than to risk everything on the potential for more.

He ran quietly back to the rope and tried out the Northern Wind bracelet. It was like he was controlling a single wind and it obeyed his every command. He told it to lift him up to the next floor, and it wrapped around his legs to do so. Once he reached the top, he pulled the rope up and returned it to its place. This was to cover his tracks. There was no sense leaving evidence if he could help it. Hopefully, the griffin would blame other griffins since it was unlikely that a human could get inside as he had done.

However, this took him longer than he’d intended and he heard a flap of wings as he reached the open doorway of the building. There was no time to climb down. All he could do was jump.  Kent fell four human floors, tumbling through open air. At the last second, he commanded the Northern Wind to catch him. It did so, and he felt like it cradled him as he neared the ground.

Once safely in the street, he took shelter in the shadow of another building. He saw the griffin circling overhead, but it didn’t see him. Apparently, it was searching the skies for the invader.

Mission complete, Kent made his way back to the Feather Inn. He’d been gone for around three hours, so he collapsed in bed as soon as he got back to the room. Thankfully, he’d been able to fly past the stairs using the Northern Wind bracelet. The bracelet wasn’t good for flying, but it was strong enough to raise him up at a steady rate. Perhaps, with practice, he would get better at using it.

I keep hearing the same words every couple of nights when I am almost awake.

“You can’t let them get to you big sister.”

It’s always the voice of a small boy, but I always wake up right after. As I open my eyes I see Kent laying in bed asleep. It’s only about four, maybe 5 in the morning. I have been getting less and less sleep lately, I should probably find some sleeping drafts at one of the markets available to us. I’ll let him sleep longer while I’m getting ready.

“Hey, Kent?” Nothing.

I don’t want to yell at him, but it is eight in the morning. Oh well right? I yank his covers off and he wakes up with a tired, yet surprised face.

“I’m sorry. You weren’t getting up, and it’s already late. I want to go to the market today, so if you want to stay here and sleep the rest of the day I guess that’s fine. I don’t think there will be another meeting today, just a bunch of touring.”

Kent nods his head and passes out in less than 10 seconds. I think he has been having trouble sleeping as well, so maybe I should get enough sleeping drafts for the both of us. If it exists.

I exit the room and notice there is no one else roaming around the stairs or even the lobby. Maybe they all had the same idea as me and they’re all headed out to the markets. Or they’re like Kent and they are sleeping.

I hear talking not very far from the Inn.

“Woah. Everyone really decided to go shopping all at once!”

The streets are filled with all kinds of people and griffins. There are different places for different kinds of food, and I noticed a few markets spread out in different spots. They all look like they sell similar items. After going through at least three marketplaces, I found only one kind of sleeping draft. I got two.

As I keep walking there are less and less people. I couldn’t help but notice a strange feeling in my gut telling me to go right, so I went right. The street I am on has barely any buildings. One building sits in a fairly open space where no other buildings reside beside it. I feel like it’s drawing me towards it. As I near the building I notice that above the doorway has the elvish language, specifically from my country. But the words are a little different, maybe a different dialect?

“Hello?” I wonder if anyone is here. “I couldn’t help but notice the words above your doorway. Uh-”

“Read them out loud.”

I struggle to read the strange dialect. “The sun’s scorching heat over the forest.”

“People who are struggling are the only ones who can read that sentence. It can bring peace to their minds. You’re struggling, aren’t you?”

I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to a sentence like that. Am I struggling? I haven’t really thought about myself for a while.

“I can’t say. I never think about my struggles.” It took a while before another response was delivered.

“Come in.”

As I walk into the room I notice something about the man I was talking to. He is an elf like me, but exactly like my race. It’s rare to see another one of my kind anywhere other than the elf country I’m from. My kind stays close to family or home, so maybe he doesn’t have a family.

“What is your name? My name is Mara.”

“My name is Damien.” He says while sitting on what looks like an old chest.

“You have strong magic abilities. But you aren’t using them to the best of your capabilities.” My face turns red, but I know deep down that what he says is true. Sometimes I feel like what I can do is on the same level as what a ten year old can. Before I can come up with a response he responds for me, as if he knows everything about me.

“Your family expects high things from you, am I right? They pressured you, which put you in a box, a very small one. This is what has been keeping you from performing in the best way possible.” He continues to sit and stare. There isn’t really anywhere to sit, and I don’t want to sit on one of his chest like he is. He finally stands up and turns around to open the old chest he was just sitting on. There must be a lot of things in there because he keeps saying “no” or “not that” as he puts things aside. He stops.

“I can help you, if you let me.” He takes out a rather large piece of metal. It doesn’t look familiar to me.

“How can you help me? I still don’t know why I’m here. This place feels like some kind of riddle.” I can’t help but keep looking around at all of his possessions. “You have a lot of stuff, I mean, they all look sort of ancient.” 

“Some of the objects you see were given to me. Passed down to me.” He takes the big piece of metal and goes through the door in the back of the room. “Are you coming?” 

“How can I trust you? How do I know this is some sort of trap?” He starts to laugh.

“Girl, if I wanted to hurt you, don’t you think I would have already done so?” His laughing progresses. “I told you before that I wanted to help you.”

“I don’t exactly trust that easily.” He proceeds to go through the door. I guess I’ll go. What’s the worst that can happen?

After I walk through the door I notice that I have walked into a forge. He must be a blacksmith. 

“The crystal.” He demands. How does he know about the crystal I have? This man is weird. “If you’re wondering how I know about the crystal in your bag, I can sense strong magics. That’s how I knew I could help you.” He puts out his hand. I take the large crystal out of my bag and hand it over.

He starts working on the crystal right away and he asks me to be quiet so he can focus. Sometimes he looks at me like he is trying to gauge the length and strength of my arms. At least, that’s what I assume as he begins to sketch out a rough design based on these observations. A couple hours go by before he asks me to leave and come back in a couple days since the process will take a while. 

I come back late in the afternoon, around the time Kent is waking up. He yawns loudly and sits up as I enter. “Where were you?”

“I just went to the markets to find some sleeping drafts. Are you having trouble sleeping at night?”

Kent stares at her blankly. “Ah, no, I’m alright.” Did she mistake his sneaking out at night to be the result of insomnia? 

Without any introduction, Kent hands me a small marble ring. It’s small enough that it barely fits on my little finger. I can feel the result in an instant. It feels like the bowl containing my magic power has doubled in size.

“Where did you get this? Have you been keeping this ring aside the whole time we’ve been together?”

Kent scratches the back of his head. “Something like that. Does it work with your magic? I hear it’s good for storing magic power.”

“Yeah I think so! I definitely felt something after putting it on. Thank you, this was very kind of you. I don’t have anything for you though.”

Kent shrugs. “It’s fine. I didn’t pay much for it.” In fact, he hadn’t paid anything for it. Simple half-truths were enough for the situation.

That night, I took one of the sleeping drafts and fell asleep almost instantly.

Kent rubbed the bronze bracelet and jumped from the balcony. The Northern Wind wrapped around his body and slowed his fall until he came slowly down to the street’s paving stones. This magic bracelet was extremely useful.

Kent usually thought things out well beforehand, but he began to question where he should go tonight. He had a rule that he would never go back to the same place twice. Should he try the warehouse next? But the problem of storage was still an issue. Was there a way to solve that? He’d heard that there were expensive rings and similar items that could utilize spatial storage. But those were usually only used by merchants and nobles. In a place as rich as this, Kent had no doubt he could find one somewhere. The issue would be if he could lift one without anyone coming after him.

The magic bracelet and ring were low tier elemental magic. They were useful, but not worth fortunes by themselves. That wasn’t the case with a spatial storage device. However, Kent wasn’t about to give up on the thought. For a thief, there was no better item for getting away with a large amount of goods undetected.

He thought about where an item like that could be found. There wasn’t likely to be a shop that specializes in their creation. Even if there was, they wouldn’t advertise it for fear of being broken into or manipulated.

Another thought occurs to him. Most of these griffins were likely to have one if they were of a high enough status. Kent made his decision. He would find some annoying bastard noble and rip him off. At least he could justify the theft in his head by saying he had it coming.

Kent made his way down to the worker depot. Here, workers from other countries would be hired out for certain architectural jobs. Griffins were rich and had many amazing ideas, but the work was usually left to these kinds of people.

Even this late into the night, the workers were hard at work on the foundation for another golden building. It was still hard to get his mind around the fact that this style of building was normal for them.

A griffin overseeing the operation was snapping at the workers, ordering them to get back to work. “Get a move on when your betters give you an order,” the griffin snapped. “I want this building finished so that I can quit sleeping at my other houses. This one is going to be something I can actually boast about. You wretches had better not mess it up!”

Kent correctly identified the griffin as a bastard. From the sound of it, he had plenty of money. Something like a small fortune wouldn’t put him too far back and if anyone deserved it, it was probably him.

The griffin ordered the workers around for a while. Kent kept himself hidden in the shadows until the griffin got bored and flew off to one of his other homes. Kent used the wind bracelet to drift up to a roof, and he could see where the griffin flew off to. With the target in his sights, he floated back down to the street and dashed toward the destination while keeping to the shadows.

Kent made it to the gold-plated building the griffin had led him to. It was far grander than most of the buildings he’d seen up to this point. He thought about reconsidering his plan. If he ripped off someone this wealthy, they might have enough influence to actually come after him. If that happened, he’d be screwed.

Eh, but this was justifiable theft. If he was going to do this though, he would need to make it a perfect theft. If the griffin left room to suspect a human or beastman, Kent would likely be found out. This would have to look like the bastard had misplaced it or had been robbed by another griffin. With that in mind, Kent used the bracelet to fly up to the doorway on the top floor.

Kent could hear the boisterous griffin enjoying a meal on the lower floors, so he searched the top floor. He didn’t expect to find anything especially valuable, but it seemed this griffin thought himself too important to be robbed. The top floor was a pristine welcome lounge, study, and library combined into one space.

There were valuables here, but he wouldn’t be able to sneak out with a full sized griffin sofa even with his wind bracelet. He suspected the more transportable valuables were hidden on the ground floor.

Kent pulled his hood up and dropped to the next floor, landing as quietly as a mouse with the help of the wind. This was the room the griffin’s voice could be heard from. He’d been having a loud, enjoyable feast by the sound of it. But now he just sounded pissed off. “You expect me to eat this food? Isn’t this imported grain? How can you expect me to eat the leftovers of some other country? Serve me something grown locally before I fire you! You have some nerve making me wait for my food,” the griffin yelled at his cook.

What was wrong with imported ingredients? Weren’t the rich particularly fond of the fact that they could pay exorbitant prices to ship food from the far reaches of the world? He was just being difficult.

Kent dropped down to the next floor and found a giant bathhouse floor. Below that were his personal quarters. There was a trapdoor in the floor. Kent, of course, investigated this basement entrance. The latch was stiff and heavy, but he eventually pried it open enough to slip inside.

The basement was dimly lit. On the bright side, it seemed this place had a lot of valuables. From the dust covering everything in sight, the griffin didn’t come down here often. As he had multiple houses, he likely used this place to hoard bits of wealth he didn’t know what to do with.

Kent began searching the place. He couldn’t find a spatial storage ring, but he found the next best thing: a tiny pouch with the same properties. The pouch was meant to be looped on a belt and was only large enough to store a few coins as it was only as long as his finger and half as wide and deep. This was the next best thing as the ring. It couldn’t hold large things as they wouldn't fit through the neck of the pouch. But it could hold smaller items like trinkets, coins, and perhaps thin weapons. The inside of the pouch contained only darkness, so the depth extended beyond common sense. Kent would need to place items in to measure the capacity this pouch could carry. Usually the space inside them was about as big as an average wardrobe.

He searched further into the basement and came across a few gold trinkets and magic items. They weren’t useful to him, but he pocketed the smaller ones in the pouch to sell at a later date. Most of the jewelry had glinting magic placed on it, causing the jewels to sparkle unnaturally.

After he’d snatched up most of the valuables, Kent made my way back outside, careful to slip past the roaring anger of the griffin. He wasn’t mad at Kent, as he hadn't been discovered yet, but his chef was having a really bad time.

Kent made his way up and out of the building without being noticed. If his luck held, it would be a while before the griffin discovered the disappearance of the items in his basement. As they were covered with dust when he found them, he guessed it would be some time before then. It didn’t appear that the griffin went down there very often.

He snuck back to the Feather Inn and collapsed in bed, still fully clothed. Kent fell asleep almost instantly, not bothered even the slightest bit by his actions that night.

When I woke up I didn’t bother to wake Kent. We have been doing our own things for the past couple days. I’m pretty sure today is the day I’m supposed to go back to that strange blacksmith. I’ve been wondering what Mr. Damien has been making out of my crystal, the talks we had a few days ago weren’t exactly long or detailed.

The streets have been getting less full with each passing day. There aren't a lot of things open to us other than a couple markets and restaurants. They let us walk pretty much everywhere except for living areas and the palace grounds. The palace is heavily guarded, so there really isn’t much point in trying. 

“Here I go, the road to who knows what will happen?” I can’t help but say nervously. I walk into the blacksmiths building right as I reach it, and the first room is the same as it was before. Mr. Damiens antiques and family heirlooms, along with weapons of different kinds on the walls and tables and chests along the wall by the entrance to the forge. I guess I’ll just walk in.

“Hello?” I hear a few hammering sounds and sizzling water. I see Mr. Damien hovering over and inspecting a long piece of metal that looks like the shape of a sword. 

“Ah, Mara! There you are. You came in just before my masterpiece was given some more colour. It’s almost done!”

“I never knew you were making a sword, It looks long and sharp! I’ve got to be honest, I don’t know much about swords.” I’m pretty sure the look of confusion and awe on my face already gave that away.

“You see Mara, this isn’t just any ordinary sword. This sword is meant to help you, not just be another piece of metal someone uses to tear something, or someone, down. I will help you with the details of how it’s meant for you later when I am finished with the rest of its design.”

“Alright, should I sit somewhere or is there something you would like me to do?” He stops and thinks for what felt like a while.

“Actually, I am a bit hungry. I haven’t gone to the market for a couple days, so if you are ok with it could you go to the market for me and pick up a few things? There is a chest on the table in the first room that should have money and a list. Just make sure to grab the right list!”

I exit the forge and go to the chest on the table and open it. There are a few lists here, all of which have different items on them. One has items like clothing and another has items I think are meant for his forge. Ah here we go, a list with only a few food items on it. I stuffed the list in my bag and grabbed the small sack of gold left in the chest and left for the market.

“I think it might rain today.” It’s very cloudy, I guess that means I should hurry.

Kent woke up and decided he’d done enough stealing. At some point, you were bound to get caught no matter how good you were.

He instead decided to go exploring. He visited the market, but it was pretty normal considering the city was basically a castle against the sun. He snagged a piece of fruit from a stall and continued walking.

He came across a strange building with unreadable words across the top. He heard the distinct sound of hammering from inside. A blacksmith? He was about to pick the lock on the door when he found it was open. These people were too trusting. It was like they were asking to be robbed. But Kent contained himself.

Kent strode inside. The first room was very strange. The items ranged from knick knacks to heirlooms. Some of them almost found their way into Kent’s bag, but the constant banging drew his attention to the back room.

Kent walked into the back and found an elf pounding at a rough chunk of metal. It looked very similar to the knife he’d ordered from the other blacksmith.

The elf looked up. “I’ve been waiting for you to find your way here.”

That was creepy as hell. “Sure, old man.” This guy was a few cards short of a deck.

“You came here looking for something, did you not?”

“Actually, I’m just wandering around. I kinda found all the stuff I was looking for already,” Kent said, leaning away from him. Was insanity contagious?

“Many souls wander. Perhaps you do not know what it is you’re looking for.”

Kent smiled and decided he’d play along. “Then what, pray tell, am I looking for?”

“Only you can answer that after examining your heart. It will be found within.” Of course he would say that.

“You’re right. I think I feel it. In my left foot. Perhaps my boot has worn through, and I’m feeling the cold tile. That must be it! I need new boots. Thank you kind sir. I never would have noticed.”

The elf frowned.

“What? Are boots not what I’m looking for?” Kent laughed internally at the elf’s flustered expression.

“No. But boots will assist you on your journey. I have a few pairs in the back that may help you in the months to come.”

While the elf left his hammering project to fetch some boots, Kent thought about raiding the cash register. While it would be funny to pay him with his own money, crazy people were just the type of people to carefully count their coins. When the elf returned, he had a pair of solidly made boots.

To the elf’s credit, they were solidly made and even had an enchantment for light stepping to minimize the sound of footsteps. They would definitely help him sneak in and out of places without being heard.

Kent paid with some gold he stole from the last house.

“There will come a time when you need these,” the elf promised.

Kent nodded. He was about ready to use them to slip outside unnoticed.

Just then, he heard the door open, and Mara stepped inside. She was carrying food from the market in her arms and she returned change to a chest. Did this man send her to run his errands?

“Thank you for that,” the elf told her. “I’ve almost finished with your sword.”

Kent looked at her. “Did he tell you to make him a sandwich too?”

“AHH!” 

While she jumped at the sight of him, Kent nearly lept out of his skin at the sound she made. He closed his eyes as he felt a migraine coming on.

The old elf called their attention over and held up a gleaming sword. The blade was pure white with a razor sharp edge. The hilt was made of gold the color of a sunset. The crossbar was made of the same gold with an ornate pattern running the length.

“It’s beautiful. I have never seen a work of art like this before.”

“At least you’ll know when you’ve cut someone. Red will stand out well on it,” Kent noted.

“This is no ordinary sword,” the elf said.

Kent rolled his eyes while Mara looked at him attentively. 

“This sword has a will of its own. Though you’ve never used a sword before, it will guide your hands with every strike. Over time it will train your mind to fight so that, in time, you may use any sword to fight with the same skill.”

Kent didn’t look convinced, but Mara took the sword. “It’s so light,” she murmured. She could hold it at arm's length with ease.

In the end, the elf looked to Kent for the bill, and he had to pull out more of his stolen gold to pay for it. Damn thief, this guy. Kent left before the elf could say anything else weird. He stood outside and waited for Mara.

“Over the past few days I also made a belt for your sword. I placed an enchantment on the belt so that whenever the sword is on it, no one can steal it.”

“That- all of this -was very generous of you. Is it really just you here?” I wanted to swallow the question before, but I couldn’t help it.

“Yes, I have lived here for quite a while. I had a family, but my only daughter married and over time her new family became dark and rotten. They got the whole town to cast me out after an incident that left me weak and vulnerable for a time. My daughter came to believe that weakness was to be tossed aside. So I was on the run and eventually a griffon found me and took pity. Now, here I am.”

This elf has a pretty sad story. Being cast out…I almost understand that feeling. 

“You-” I stutter, gulping on my words.

“Have you thought about leaving this place? I know, from what you said, that you're here because a griffon took pity on you. But I can’t help but feel like you just do not belong here. Like Maybe you should come with me!” I anxiously spill out. 

His lead stare is hurting my eyes.

“Mara, I don’t know if I am supposed to assist you on this journey. If I am the right one rather.” He breathes in heavily.

What can I say to change his mind? He has already done me a service, and I don’t want to be more of an annoyance.

“I honestly don't think there's much I can say to change your mind, but maybe you need this journey. So I am going to let you sit on this offer while Kent and I go grab more supplies and food.”

Just back out of there slowly, turn around, and walk away mara.

“Ahh–oh, hi Kent. Shall we go to the market?” I say with an awkward grin.

As we are arriving at the market Kent spots some meat skewers being freshly made. 

“Smells like garlic, oregano, a little bit of cumin, aaand some ginger. Yup that’s ginger.” Kent says with his nose walking towards the booth.

“It does look rather good. I think we can grab a bite and sit on that fountain just ahead for a bit if you would like.” I say with my hand holding two fingers up suggesting how many I wanted.

Kent gestures to the grill behind the man. “Ten copper for three fresh off the grill?” He reaches for two skewers on the rack as the man turns to grab the fresh ones.

I turn around to look at Kent and of course what am I seeing? Him stealing. He’s looking at me now with a stupid grin as he’s looking around. I think my face says enough. 

“Wow, This fountain is a lot bigger than from the view back there.” I’m pretty sure I am looking at an almost two, maybe three story, cobblestone fountain with some gold accents on the corners. Either these griffons are really greedy, or they are just very wealthy.

“Hey!” Kent shouts at me from five paces away.

“Thank goodness, I think my body is aching for food.” I groan as my stomach lets out an obnoxious grumble.

Kent grinned at the face she made, handing her two of the fresh skewers. He took a bite of the third and saved the other two for later. He was a bit surprised she hadn’t called him out on his theft, but maybe that was a sign she was adapting to his behavior, slowly corrupted by her minor involvement. Still he probably shouldn’t try to directly involve her in any thefts yet.

Mara sat down on the edge of the fountain while they planned their next moves. They needed food and supplies, as Kent suspected they wouldn’t be able to stay long. He could only get lucky so many times before his luck ran out.

Mara visited a pastry stand and legally purchased a few savory buns. This time she stood between him and the counter with her hands on her hips, as if daring him to try anything in front of her again. Seeing the baker duck under the stand to fetch a paper bag for her pastries visibly pained Kent. It was the perfect opening to snatch a few of the muffins along the side of the display. But he could tell Mara wasn’t having any of it. 

“Let’s check out that tool-smith,” Kent suggested.

They approached the stand, only to find the man selling nearly every tool under the sun. Shovels, hatchets, tongs, pliers, and more.

Mara spotted a grappling hook in one of the display cases. “That hook there, what does it cost?” 

The smith looked over the shiny three-pronged hook. “You have a use for this kinda item? Seems geared more towards your friend here.”

Mara crossed her arms.

Honestly, Kent couldn’t really see how it appealed to her, and he didn’t have a use for it himself. His Northern Wind bracelet could get him up to anywhere he needed, and it was a lot faster to use. 

“Who knows? What if we fall in a pit, and there is no way out other than up? No good rocks to grip on the sides to climb? Hmmm?” 

Kent rolled his eyes. “You would get stuck in a pit.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Mara mumbled.

While Mara paid for the grappling hook, Kent leaned over to the smith and whispered an inquiry about lock picking tools. The man nodded and slid a small pouch across the counter. Kent gave the inside a quick look and slid the man a few silver. 

Mara spent way too long looking at clothes. She bought a few outfits, but did way too much browsing for Kent’s taste. He glanced around, bored out of his skull.

From up above, a tan-colored griffin swooped low to land on the trellis of a nearby shop. He panned around the marketplace, eyeing the buyers and sellers closely. The griffin was decked in ostentatious jewelry, clearly filthy rich, even compared to most other griffins Kent had seen. In fact he looked a tad familiar…

The griffin locked eyes with Kent and looked him over. “You! Thief! Scoundrel! Scum!”

Kent grabbed Mara’s arm and took off between the market stands.

“What are you doing?”

The griffin swooped low, but many of the stands were shaded by canvas awnings, which made it difficult for the large creature to land near them. The griffin opted to stay airborne and follow from the skies.

“You stole that bracelet from my home! The great Northern Wind!”

Kent grimaced. So this was the owner of that jewelry store. He thought he’d gotten away clean from that encounter. He’d stolen many items since then, but somehow this griffin had found them by chance.

“Kent, what did you take?”

He glanced up at the griffin as they ran, feeling a bit sheepish. “Just a magic item.”

A magic item? We are having to run through alleys because he stole a magic item? I swear this better be worth it. Maybe someday we can return it…

“Where do we go now!?” I say as we have reached an open drop. An actual drop all the way down to the surface. I can’t even see the ground because of how high up we are.

“Kent?” My voice falters a little.

“The guards will catch us if we go back through the market,” he began.

A sudden wave of light ripples through the area and the elf from before is standing in front of us. Like he came from thin air. The griffon has finally reached us, his wings giving great gusts of wind.

“Give me back what you have stolen, thief! And I promise the most that will happen to you is ending up in our prison.” The griffon speaks with an intimidating tone.

“Solarius Expelry Griffon!” The elf shouts as an amazing, blinding light by which I have never seen before, is shot into the griffons piercing eyes. Damien the elf turns and looks at me with a comforting smile as Kent grabs my hand yelling. The last thing I could see was Damien mouthing ‘good luck’ as we plummeted towards the earth.

“AAHHH!!!”

“AAHHH!!!”

————————————

Ko’s Side Story

Ko had never been left alone for very long, much less in the middle of nowhere, far from any stables or oversight. It was exhilarating and also daunting.

At first, Ko just waited nearby, assuming that elf he supposedly belonged to would return for him. When she didn’t return after two days, Ko took matters into his own hooves.

Ko was a herbivore, so food wasn’t an issue in the nearby forests. His powerful light magic was also more than enough to keep any predators at bay. But despite his newfound freedom, Ko felt he was missing something, that this life had no purpose.

As he was drinking from a stream, Ko spotted a flit of movement in the underbrush across the river. Predicting danger, Ko assumed a defensive position. Instead, what walked out was a Deer Fox with red fur, a strong deer torso, and cute whiskery nose. Ko was flustered for a moment, trying to decide how to address the new arrival.

Ko could tell immediately that the Spirit Animal was a female, and she caught on to his gender as well, as she trilled her melodic voice in question.

She wanted to know what he was doing there. He replied in a tone that made it clear he wasn’t a threat, and the Deer Fox jumped the stream to approach him.

Ko stood absolutely still, as the Deer Fox inspected his white fur, rubbing her nose against his hide and trilling her melodic intent to claim him.

She whips her tail in Ko’s face and trots off looking back at him, as if expecting him to follow. She walks a few steps away from the stream. Wondering if he is still behind her she turns around and they bump noses, putting her into a playful mood. She bounces around singing a harmony, suggesting that they run around.

They started prancing around each other, and rolling around on the ground. She hears rushing water running in a nearby distance. Looking at Ko, he already knew her desires. As if their spirits were connecting.

The ground soft beneath their hooves, the water grows closer, and closer. She stops. Suddenly She bolts towards the bank of the river, blasting an energy unlike Ko has ever seen. 

A large bellowing sound cries out. 

As soon as the light energy dissipates, Ko is by her side ready to defend. 

A massive troll stands waist-deep in the river, an angry red welt covering half its torso from the Deer Fox’s light attack. Unlike Ko’s light, her’s is warmer, fiercer. The troll drops the dead stag it had been gnawing on, clearly seeing Ko and his new acquaintance as the new meal.

Ko charges up a big magic attack while the Deer Fox dashes back and forth along the riverbank, firing potshots at the troll’s weak points. The troll takes a ray of hot light in the eyes, making it stagger and yell, before clutching its neck and side next.

Clearly realizing it can’t take its time getting to them, the troll lunges forward to reach the riverbank.

The Deer Fox leaps back from the water’s edge as Ko finishes his magic spell. A giant ball of white light condenses in his antlers before shooting out and blasting the troll backwards, a giant hole in its chest.

The river carries the corpse away in only a few moments. The Deer Fox huffs in satisfaction, seeing her enemy defeated. She wanders back to Ko, inspecting his antlers with more interest before booping him on his nose with her own.

Days passed. Ko and the Deer Fox, Kana as she introduced herself, spent more time together, tracking down the best tasting food and the meanest enemies. But all that was brought to a halt as Ko heard a screaming voice from the sky. He looked up in time to see two falling figures he recognized.

With a few notes of conversation to Kana, he used light magic on his hooves to take to the skies for a brief moment, in order to intercept the falling people. Before he could reach them, however, a strange wind seemed to slow their fall to a manageable level as Mara and Kent began gliding down to where Ko ran just above the treeline.