City of Gor, Kingdom of Breoch
Year 103 of Leahra, Second Age
Once a thief, always a thief. Ereptus pondered the sentiment as he approached the city he had vowed never to return to. Most of his formative years had been spent in the streets of Gor, and it was where he had learnt both to steal and to avoid incoming blows the times he'd been detected. The words had been said by an old friend who lived in Gor, and they weren't untrue. Ereptus had spent his entire life as a thief, and he didn't see it changing any time soon. Said friend was also the reason he was back, despite what he had promised himself. But since he owed him his life, he couldn't ignore the summon when it came.
The streets weren't bustling with people at this hour, but there was enough movement that Ereptus could easily walk down alleys and pathways without notice. He had no desire to run into anyone he may have made an enemy of while still living there. Walking down a back alley, he stopped short at the sound of some muffled shouts and what he'd assume was a scuffle. Against better judgement - he found that minding one's business was usually the best approach in life - he turned toward the noise and saw two men attacking a young girl.
Normally he would have just left, but something about the girl's desperate, yet futile, resistance made him step closer. She was small and skinny, but she fought well. She kicked one man in the groin while grabbing the other's hair, making him scream. As Ereptus slowly approached, the girl caught sight of him and he froze.
Those eyes. Pale green, so pale that they almost seemed yellow. He'd never seen eyes like that before and it had thrown him off for a moment. He also registered that she was young, quite young. Fourteen, maybe younger. The moment of stillness was over as both men recovered simultaneously and moved toward their victim. Without thinking, Ereptus did something he'd never done before. He stepped in to help. With a few swift movements he had the two attackers unconscious on the ground - one didn't spend a lifetime on the streets without picking up at least a few tricks.
The girl was eyeing him warily as she brushed some dust off her patched trousers. She seemed mostly unharmed, her attackers not having had the time to do too much damage. Ereptus noted that she wasn't as skinny as he had first thought. Someone was clearly feeding her, even if she was very slender. The clothes she wore had seen better days, the trousers patched and dirty, the leather boots frayed to the point where a toe might soon poke out, and her tunic was too large, tied at the waist with a frayed rope. Had it not been for her fair face and long, dark hair, he may have mistaken her for a boy.
Her skin was much fairer than he would have expected. It was clear even through the dust and grime that covered most of it. She was beautiful, too beautiful to be a regular street urchin. No girl of any age looking like that would have made it this long. Especially not a girl who was at least part-elf. The vague shape of her ears was unmistakable under her matted hair, bearing witness to her mixed heritage.
"Who are you?" The question was accompanied by a glare from those peculiar eyes.
Momentarily debating whether to give a fake name since he didn't want it known he was in town, Ereptus finally decided on the truth. "I'm Ereptus. I might ask you the same question."
She shrugged dismissively. "It doesn't matter, and I must be on my way." Turning her back to him, she started walking down the alley, carefully stepping over the bodies of the two men still lying unconscious on the ground.
"Now, hold on there, kid!" Ereptus caught her by the arm and forced her to stop. "You don't just walk out on me. I didn't just save your ass to get thrown away like yesterday's dinner."
Looking back at him, she tugged at her arm, but he held steady. He wasn't sure why he was so angry, why he cared at all, but he'd be damned if she was just going to saunter off without so much as a thank you.
"What do you want?" she asked, glaring up at him, but there was a hint of concern behind her bravado. Suddenly he felt like an oaf. Growing up in Gor she met some of the worst scum daily, who probably would want a lot more than a thanks from her. It was no wonder that she was trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. He released her arm but was pleasantly surprised to find that she didn't immediately run away.
"I don't know," he replied, scratching his neck. "A thank you would be nice."
She scoffed. "I was doing fine before you came along! I can take care of myself."
"Right," he muttered. "Maybe I should wake those chumps back up and let them have another go at robbing you?"
"I'd rather you didn't, but if you did I'd handle it." She raised her chin defiantly, and Ereptus had to admire her gumption even if she was a fool. Glancing down at the two bodies, she shuddered slightly. Maybe she wasn't as foolish as she made herself sound. Looking back up at him, she frowned. "Why did you save me?"
"Damned if I know."
The sound of feet pounding against the compacted dirt of the alleyway made them both jump, and Ereptus quickly drew his dagger and turned to face whoever was running towards them. With his free hand, he grabbed the girl's arm again, pulling her behind him. Fully expecting it to be a companion of the two men on the ground, it surprised him to see that it was the old friend who had summoned him, Gaylen.
"Rain!" the older man panted. "Are you all right?"
"I will be as soon as this brute lets go of me," the girl snapped, pulling loose of Ereptus' grip and quickly dashing over to the older man.
As he watched the two of them have a hushed conversation a feeling of foreboding stole over Ereptus. Damn, he hoped he was wrong. Even though he couldn't hear them, it was obvious Gaylen was telling her off. Probably for being out alone this close to nightfall. The city wasn't safe for anyone after the dark settled, it was barely safe during the day.
"Gaylen?" Ereptus interrupted their whispering and the older man finally inspected him. His eyes widened.
"Ereptus! Mate! I hardly recognised you. The last time I saw you, you were still a gangly brat!" He walked up and slapped him on the back. "It's good to see you, old friend."
Unable to say the same, Ereptus grunted. Being back in Gor made him uncomfortable and he couldn't wait to leave again. He may have spent most of his life there, but it hadn't been a good life. Gaylen had once saved his life by taking him in after he'd been badly injured in a fight and nursed him back to health. After that he had stayed with the older man for a while, helping any way he could, usually by stealing food or money.
Nodding towards the girl he said gruffly, "I see you've taken in a new brat."
Gaylen squirmed a little, raking a hand through his unkempt greying hair. "Ah yes. That's what I was hoping to talk to you about."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Ereptus muttered.
With a grimace, Gaylen gestured for him to follow. "Come. Let's talk more at my house."
In Gaylen's house, barely more than a hovel really, they gathered around an old, splintered wooden table and the older man put out some water and bread for them to share. Ereptus stayed mostly quiet while his old friend chattered on about the goings-on of the city during the past few years, claiming that it had gotten worse rather than better after the reign of the Dark Disciple had ended. It surprised Ereptus it could get worse as he didn't exactly have any pleasant memories of the city in the first place.
"It's as if everyone has forgotten that this city exists," Gaylen lamented. "We have no real Peacekeepers to speak of, and any old riffraff that followed the Dark Disciple seem to find their way here. It's not a safe city."
"It never was." Taking a sip of water, Ereptus had to try not to spit it back out again as it tasted of dust and dirt. He glanced towards the girl who had just returned from a back room where she'd freshened up.
With her face now clean and her dark, walnut brown hair combed, there was no hiding that she was a beauty. With her hair tied back, her Elven ears were clearly visible, confirming his suspicion that she was at least part elf. Her skin was fair with a scattering of freckles over a narrow, straight nose. She had arched eyebrows and dark lashes that he knew some could only achieve with soot. Her full lips had a little impish curve at the edges that made it look as if she had a mischievous secret that no one else could know. And those eyes with their astonishing colour.
Somehow she made him think of a pure, white rose standing alone in a withered garden. This city wasn't for someone like her. Gaylen seemed to think the same and had noticed him regarding the girl.
"I found her on the streets some years back," he said. "Her father abandoned her here. They arrived together, and then he didn't bother to bring her back home."
She stared down at her hands resting on the table, seemingly uncomfortable with the topic. Ereptus didn't blame her. Being abandoned wasn't exactly the stuff of fairy tales or good memories.
"Why did you take her in?"
"Look at her!" Gaylen gestured towards her, animated. "She doesn't belong on the streets! I don't know where she's from, but she's not your regular street urchin!"
Ereptus nodded, having thought the same thing himself. The girl - Rain, he reminded himself - was busying herself by tearing small pieces off of a loaf of bread and then popping them in her mouth. Her cheeks were flushed as if their conversation embarrassed her.
"She knows magic!"
The last admission made Ereptus sit up straighter. Magic? It was a rare gift, or a curse, depending on who you asked. "Elven magic?" he asked.
"I don't know." Gaylen looked puzzled. "Is there a difference?"
Ereptus shrugged. "Yes, and no. Elven Mages don't have formal training the way our human Sorcerers do. Or at least I don't think so. The elves don't exactly share a lot with us about their lives. I imagine that the magic is the same though. Magic is magic, right?" It was out of his expertise, really. He didn't know much more than Gaylen, only whatever he had snapped up during his travels. He was just your regular old garden-variety thief.
"Mind you, she's untrained," Gaylen continued. "I imagine that she will become much better with some help. We've been trying to keep it secret here. To keep her safe."
"I assume we're about to get to that favour you want from me?" Ereptus was fairly certain he knew what was coming, but he still hoped to be wrong.
"I want you to bring her to the city of Messina," Gaylen nodded. "The Sorcerers are there and they can teach her to use her powers, help her control them. It's a peaceful city, she'll be safe there."
Maybe now it was. It had not even been a year since the war ended and they had taken Messina back from the Dark Disciple. Large parts of the city were still being rebuilt, but they prided themselves on dubbing it the City of Peace, with no one allowed inside carrying arms.
Ereptus groaned, but before he could protest, the older man continued. "Once you're there and she's safe with the Sorcerers, you can leave her. You need never to see her again. I ask you this favour, and then your debt to me is paid."
"Fine." Ereptus nearly took another sip from his mug before remembering the awful taste of the water. Normally he always travelled alone, and he didn't want to be responsible for another person, but he did owe Gaylen a massive debt. "Have her pack and be ready in the morning. I want to leave at dawn."
"Thank you," Gaylen said, looking relieved and clapping him on the back. "You're a good man, Ereptus."
That was debatable, but he was a man who paid his debts.
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