Chapter 1 - The Kingdom of Peccatum

The Kingdom of Peccatum was massive. It was praised as one of the biggest cities in Ageria. The entire city was circular, enclosed by a 30-foot wall of stone. The palace was in the center of the city, separated by a canal of water that surrounded the borders of the castle. Only a single bridge could be used to cross. The markets were flooded with people from all walks of life. Men ran their shops both in, and outdoors. On the outskirts of the city, a tall Elf of dark brown skin approached. The Elf's skin had a slightly greyish tint to it and had many scars across the arms and legs. The Elf's long pointed ears made it easy to tell the species. Her eyes were two different colors and were darting around her restlessly and taking in everyone and everything. One a bright silver and the other a dark, stormy grey. A permanent frown seemed etched into her face. She only seemed to wear the most basic of armor, with hardened leather greaves, and a leather shoulder piece on her left, as well as hardened leather bracers on each arm. Each bracer had a small piece that extended over the back of her hands. Her left arm had a dark sleeve that covered it, matching her leggings, but her right was bear. Long white hair hung untamed midway down her back. A traveling cloak of sorts hung down over her, seemingly unattached to the hood over her shoulders. Oddly this cloak seemed to be covered in black feathers. It was an odd choice of outfit for most, to be sure. A long sword hung in a sheathe from her hip, and the more skilled of the eye may catch a hint of other sheaths here and there, but it was hard to tell exactly how many blades she had with her. A quiver hung from the back of her belt, and an unstrung bow was strapped to its side.

The elf passed many people. Some would look at her funny and whisper to their nearby friends and family, pointing out the strange attire. Some just saw her though as another face in the crowd. Very little emotion was shown towards anyone she passed, keeping an impassive face as she makes her way down the street towards the palace. The elf soon approached a busy street. It was crowded as the nearby shops where all having sales to celebrate the finding of Asdros's temple. The elf looked around briefly at the stores, but seemed to have a single destination in mind and doesn't slow down. As she passed more shops, she noticed more things. Some sold shoes, food, some even sold magic items. While the elf made her way through the crowded street, a younger kid ran into her. The kid was wearing a cloak with a distinct pattern over her head and didn't stop to apologize. Another kid ran passed the elf and after the cloaked one. The elf froze for a moment before instinctively reaching for the coin pouch she kept on her belt. The pouch was missing. She makes a small noise of anger and ran after the kids. She heedlessly shoved her way through the crowd of people, quickly following any hint of where they had gone. She managed to catch up to the uncloaked child. He stood, looking in various directions for the child he chased. The elf grabbed the kid by his shoulder, looking very displeased.

"Where'd the other one go?" she hissed. The kid shrugged his shoulders and spoke in an annoyed tone.

"I don't know." The boy spoke to her in an annoyed and angry tone. She stared at him for a second before grunting and pushing the child aside, looking for any hint of the cloaked child. However, she was unlucky, as the cloaked child was out of sight.

She clenched her jaw, then sighed softly, and turned around. Releasing her grip on the child, she continued, rather upset. The elf soon arrived at the center of the kingdom and made her way to the castle's entrance. Workers were constructing an elevated platform, just before the drawbridge. The elf sighed. The king was said to announce the location of the temple the next day, not wanting the news to spread out to bandits and giving them a head start. The elf questioned the guards about the time the announcement was being made, and the explained that it would be closer to the afternoon. The elf nodded and soon left. Now knowing the time she had to return, she set out to find the pickpocketer. She avoided the main roads this time, searching through the adjoined streets for any scent or sign of the child. She had no luck, however. Peccatum was a massive kingdom, and it would take hours to find anyone in this place if they were lucky.

Night fell, and after hours of searching, the elf had no luck. She slipped down into a quiet alley and slightly padded down the cobblestones. A man soon walked past her, carrying a large sack over his shoulder. His rugged attire and condition would make it seem like he was one of the poorer members of the kingdom. The elf gave the man a brief nod as he passed, and the man nodded back, smiling at her. She watched the man and once he turned a corner into another back alleyway, she pursued him, staying to the shadows. The man kept walking, and the elf kept following him, making no sound, or hint of her presence clear. Soon, the man placed the sack on the ground and sat for a moment to rest. Silently the elf steps up to him. The alley they were in was closer to the outskirts of the kingdom, and near the wall, so not many people were around. Before the man could notice the elves presence, he was met with a quick jab to the neck. A knife of silver dug through his flesh, cutting through the vein and windpipe. A hand quickly covered the man's mouth to prevent any screaming, just in case. The man squirmed as the elf held him down, killing him slowly. She shushes him gently as she slowly removed the blade, allowing him to begin bleeding out, keeping her hand over his mouth to prevent any cry for help.

He soon bled out. It began to rain, washing the blood from the ground and spread it further. The elf hummed softly and crouched next to him, opening a bag she had carried with her. She looked at the man she had just murdered. His limp body against the side of a building, with blood, dripping from his mouth and neck. There was no life in his open eyes. The elf shrugged and leaned closer to the man's corpse. She reached into her bag and pulled out the jar, begging to hum thoughtfully as she tampered with the corpse.

As the rain fell harder, the elf continued her search for a child that had stolen from her. She left the body where it was, not bothering to hide or move it. Slipping out of the alley, she started walking down the street, looking at the remaining people outside as she walked. Luck soon favored the elf. With her eyes, she spotted it. In the third story window of one of many inns, she saw a cloak with the same pattern as of that of the thief's. While it was a long shot, the elf investigated anyway, for it was the only lead she had found. She walked through the inn doors and was greeted by the smell of alcohol, and meats. The inn was rather full tonight. Men sat around at tables with friends, talking. The elf stayed to the shadows, wanting to stay as out of sight as possible. She made her way up the steps of the inn and into the hallways leading to other rooms, soon finding the one she believed was connected to the window with the cloak hanging in it.

In a surprising move, the elf looked both directions down the empty hallway before phasing through the inn door. Her body appeared like it was made of smoke for the brief moment she completed the action. The room was dark and small. From what could be made out, a young girl was sleeping on the inn's bed with her eyes shut. She slept under the covers, and only the top of her head poked out. There was a dresser beside the bed, and on it was a long stick that looked like it was ripped from a tree. Besides the stick where two rings, each having a small colored gem embedded into them. One had a bright red ruby, and the other, a ghostly blue sapphire. The cloak she had worn was wet and hung up to dry. A small puddle had formed under the cloak, and water started to seep through the cracks of the floorboard and into the room below. The girl seemed to be all alone, with hardly any sign of personal belongings, beside the clothes she wore. The elf slowly and quietly approached the girl, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. The girl in the bed shifted a bit but other than that did not react. The elf purses her lips, then gently lifted the girl upright by her shoulder, shaking her lightly.

"Wake up, little one..."

The child heard the voice, as she was shaking. She quickly opened her eyes, and tried to let out a scream but was quickly covered up by the figure's hand. The elf crouched in front of the bed and whispered.

"Hush. Don't panic... I just want to talk, alright?" The child's eyes were wide awake. She couldn't see the figure very well in the dark but nodded her head quickly. Her heart was racing.

"Calm down, little one..." she sits on the bed next to her, keeping a hand on her shoulder. She paused for a moment, looking at the frightened child. There was silence between the two, the only sound being that of commotion, coming from the bar two stories down. The elf let out a relaxed sigh and spoke softly. "So... you stole from me."

The child quickly shook her head. Her eyes were still wide, as her right hand shifted under the covers, slowly making its way towards the dresser beside the bed. The elf noticed the shifting under the covers, and in a quick motion, grabbed the hand, holding it through the sheets. She shook her head and spoke a little louder.

"No, no, little one. I know it was you," there was a pause as she went silent for a moment, letting some fear settle in, "but I'm not mad... I just want to know why?" The elf lowered her hand from the girl's mouth to allow her to respond but kept her hand close enough to cover the child's mouth again if she were to scream or call for help. The child opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She closed it and looked at the elf, swallowing nervously. "I won't hurt you, little one... probably... but answer the question please." The girl was silent, only answering a moment later after a few deep breaths.

"I... I... needed a coin." Her voice was hoarse and scratchy, and she spoke quietly.

"...and whys that?"

"Because... I don't have any." The girl responded. The elf paused for a moment, before asking softly, "why?"

The child shifted slightly, "I... I don't...", she stopped herself and sighed. The elf looked at her and the child's appearance.

"You can't get a job, I assume?" She asked. The child shook her head. The elf paused for a moment and looked around the room. "No family to turn to?" The child shook her head again. There was a long silence, as the elf stared back at the girl, she asked her in a soft voice.

"What's your name?" She finally asked.

"E-Emily..." She spoke quietly. The elf fell silent, her head tilted to the side, staring at the girl in the darkened room. A small sense of compassion was worming its way through her mind, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with it. After a long moment, she made up her mind. What exactly drove her to wonder this? The wish for the company? A family? The fact that after looking at the girl and the condition she was in, she didn't want to see the child harmed? God forbid in a place where she couldn't get any help? She didn't quite know why she asked the next question.

"Emily, shall we make a deal?" She waited to see if the child reacted, but all she did was relax a small bit. The elf spoke a little softer, "I have the means, and god knows the ability to keep you safe, and... relatively happy. I could... take care of you, I suppose," The child relaxed a bit more and sat up, "But I'll warn you, I don't always go to the safest of places, and I don't know what you could offer me in return. But how about it?" The child sat there quietly and thought about it. She didn't have anywhere else to turn to. Nowhere else to go. She had used some of the money she stole from this woman to rent a room for one night, and now that same woman was offering to take care of her. It didn't make sense in her mind. Usually, when she stole from people, they would get mad, and she would have to run, but not this woman... this... elf. She thought about the proposal, and after a long time, she finally made a decision.

"O- Okay..." There was hesitation in her voice as she spoke this, unsure if it was the right call, to follow this stranger. The elf smiled back widely, her teeth flashing white in the dim light of the room.

"Alright, little one. Now then. You have two options. I was planning on going to the temple of the Asdros... you can either come with me, or I suppose to stay here if you feel you could stay safe till my return. However, you may be arguably safer with me as opposed to by yourself in an unfriendly city. But it's your choice, what would you prefer?" Emily had heard of the king's quest a couple of times by people passing by. To her and her life, it sounded like fun, to go exploring, but it also sounded dangerous. She thought for a long time again, before giving the elf a nod.

"I'll... I'll go with you." There was more hesitation in her voice. The elf nodded.

"Alright then, you sleep well little one. I'll come back to get you in the morning." She stood up, backing away from the bed. Emily nodded nervously as she watched the elf back away from her bed in the dark. Before the elf left the room, she turned back to the child and spoke once more before leaving. "I'm Alina, by the way." after that she phased back through the door. The girl didn't notice this in the dark, but she wondered where the elf had gone. She sat up for a bit longer, still shaken by the interaction. Eventually, she slowly rested back into the bed and looked up at the ceiling. Her heart still racing.

As the night rose, and everyone went to bed, the stench of a rotting corpse floated around the kingdom, followed by the sounds of chainmail and metal clicking down the streets. There was no disturbance aside from that.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***