An Unlikely Friend. part 1

Chapter 16: A Stolen Dagger

Nero

Nero blocks two quick attacks from the Entity just a meter away before it suddenly falls apart. He inhales deeply several times with his charred broomstick ready. His breath is just barely visible in the cool winter morning. Where did it go?

He shifts his perspective and sees the violet glow dissipate into the surroundings. Nero hears rustling from behind him and spins around. He catches a bright red glow of Aether as a person runs away. Switching his perspective back to normal, he sees it is a woman covered in black, who is soon lost to the park. What was that? He runs forward to get a better look and stumbles on a golden glittering object in the grass. Nero stashes his broomstick and picks up a long dagger in an engraved dark wooden sheath with inlaid precious stones of green and red, and gold designs.

The handle is made from the same wood as the sheath with light grain running along its length. He pulls the dagger out, revealing a dark double-edge blade with triangles cut through the metal along the length, which are large near the base and smaller as they come closer to the tip. He shifts his perspective and sees a gentle pulsing red glow about the sheath and a slight green glow between his fingers from the handle. When he slides the blade back in the sheath and removes his hands, green lines of Aether cling to his hand like the handle was covered in sticky slime. Eventually the lines of Aether break and green tentacles from the handle are left reaching out for his hand.

Oh my gosh that's creepy. The tentacles sway like grass in the ocean as he moves his hand back and forth. This is weird, it's like they’re alive and drawn to me. What are they?

Suddenly an iron grip clenches around his wrist and the dagger is ripped from his hand.

The old Borukin Nero had seen sweeping is glaring at him with a stare of death and breathing deeply. “You two handed, white skinned, sorry excuse for something that uses oxygen, thief!”

“What?!” Nero yells out, partly from pain and partly from surprise. “I didn't steal anything.”

The man turns and yanks Nero's arm with him. Nero tries to resist but the old man's strength is unyielding.

“Thought you could take advantage of an old man? Obviously your human brain didn’t account for the speed of a well-ripened Borukin! I was right behind you the whole time.”

Nero stumbles along. “I don't know what you’re talking about! I just found it on the ground.” Tears and panic start to build.

“Save your lies for the police. You'll be in jail until you get arthritis,” he says with a slight hobble to his walk.

“I didn't do anything wrong,” Nero barely squeezes out with tears trickling down both cheeks.

The Borukin drags Nero the rest of the way to his shop in silence. Inside, he throws Nero on a chair next to a phone. Nero's medallion jumps on his neck and catches the man's eye.

“Did you steal that too?” The man grabs the medallion.

Nero fights with him but is unable to stop the old man from pulling the necklace over his head.

Nero's head drops and tears begin to flow freely. “I didn't steal anything,” Nero says between sobs.

The old man hesitates at the phone. “Where'd you get this then?”

“Sosimo the candy maker gave it to me.”

“Ha! Sosimo the candy maker? You might as well call him Sosimo the elephant trainer for the waste of talent he is.” The man shakes his head. “Why would he give a little rascal like you this medallion?”