Disclaimer: The author of this fanfiction does not, in any way, profit from the story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creator(s).
The Reclamation of Paralon
by Pout
Chapter 1: Street Rats
Kikumaru Eiji tossed the money pouch between his hands and allowed himself a contented smirk. There were at least four silvers in there, he was sure of it. That was enough for a few good meals before he’d have to move another swipe. He pulled his rag of a coat tight about his shoulders to block out the bite of the new winter’s chill. Tugging the gray hood up over his vibrant scarlet hair, he looked to the western sky. The days were starting to get shorter and colder. They’d have to start moving back towards the city’s center soon where the underground sewer hubs would be his haven for the next few months.
“Eh? Four silvers and two coppers? That’s a good catch, Eiji,” proclaimed a voice over his shoulder.
Realizing that his newest take was no longer in his possession, the redheaded street rat whirled around only to find another redhead, the street’s fastest pickpocket, poking through his recently acquired money pouch. “Hey! That’s mine, Kamio!”
“If you can’t even hold on to your catch, you don’t deserve to keep it.”
“Kamio!” Kikumaru whined, putting on his best wounded kitten look.
Kamio Akira shrugged his shoulders and threw back the pouch, minus one copper. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“Did you find a good job?”
Kamio nodded and ran his fingers through his hair which shone a deep-set carmine. “Down by the docks. There’s new cargo coming in. I figure you, Momoshiro, and I can make a good pull at around sundown.”
“What is it?”
“Tea and linens.”
“Linens? You’re kidding.”
“You know how it is. Come on, let’s get going.”
It was a short walk to get to the central plaza where they met up with Momo. If Kamio was the fastest, then Momoshiro Takeshi was surely the strongest of the street dwellers. Perhaps that was why the two were constantly bickering.
They loitered about the docks, hiding when appropriate, and waited for their chance. When the guard had thinned enough, Kamio led the way and they snuck aboard the anchored craft.
“If I was an expensive set of sheets, where would I be?” Kamio murmured as they tiptoed down towards the holding areas.
As they reached the lower levels of the ship, Momoshiro shook his head. “You’d think they’d have better security down here with all the valuables.” No sooner had he spoken when the distinct glint of steel flashed in the semi-darkness and the flat of a heavy sword was laid across his neck.
Kamio and Eiji jumped back from the sudden assault only to find themselves surrounded by a group of five men.
Magelight flared and the space around them was filled with a blue-white glow. “Maa, what have we here?” A sapphire capped mage staff tapped gently down against the planks of the floor. Kamio cursed and almost attempted a dash for it, but the point of the mage’s staff stayed his flight.
“What are you doing here?” asked the sword wielder in a commanding monotone, drawing their attention back to his glinting weapon. Momoshiro didn’t dare swallow let alone answer seeing as how the blade remained bared against his throat. He did his best not to blink against the frigid stare the swordsman was sending him behind a pair of sleek glasses.
“Nothing,” Eiji answered at last, his voice cracking slightly though he tried his best not to flinch as his captors saw straight through the practiced lie. “Honestly! We got lost!”
One of the men surrounding them made a hissing sound of blatant disbelief prompting Eiji to spin and face him, giving him his best innocent face. The man was a sour looking individual with a cloth wrap bandana over his dark hair. His countenance relayed the fact that he didn’t believe a word the would-be-larcenist had said. Beside him, a man with short cropped black hair and deep green eyes put a hand on his arm as if to keep him from saying or doing anything rash.
“Well, what the hell are you people doing down here?” Kamio spat out suddenly, glaring at the mage who still had not lowered his staff. “Bet you were doing the same thing we were. Or maybe something worse.” He raised his eyebrows insinuatingly.
“We’ll have to bring them with us. The patrol will switch soon,” said the fifth man whose strict square glasses were glinting dangerously in the magelight.
“What?!” Eiji tried to protest before the sound of distant footsteps silenced them all, the magelight guttering into darkness.
As their eyes readjusted to the faint shudder of the single overhead lamp, the man with the square glasses took the lead. The men took them out another way, heading up a set of back entrance stairs to the mid-deck. Momoshiro was led at sword point, Kamio at staff point, and Eiji prodded not so gently by the bandana man as they snaked their way out of the cargo ship.
They were nearing the second to last corridor when Kamio suddenly hissed, “No, this way is better.” He pointed down an unlit corridor which he, Eiji, and Momoshiro had come through when they were first sneaking aboard.
The five men seemed to consider it for a moment before the man with the square glasses headed purposefully down the dark corridor, as if to say, ‘If you’re lying, you will not be happy with the outcome.’
Luckily, Kamio hadn’t been lying and soon they were all piling safely out into the night air.
“So you were stowaways,” Momoshiro said at last when the sword had grudgingly retreated. “Who are you people anyway?”
The man with the sword sheathed his weapon and frowned, “That is none of your concern.”
“It’s best you leave now,” the man with the square glasses said calmly. “But before you go, you might direct us to a decent inn in the area.”
“I might, but I don’t wanna,” Kamio snorted. The mage laughed softly behind him. It was an eerie sound, prompting Kamio to quickly suggest the Caringston two blocks down. They didn’t thank him, but leaving them all alive and conscious was probably thanks enough.
As the five strangers disappeared down the street, the street gang headed back to their hideout. They were dejected as they dropped unceremoniously onto the dirt floors of their claimed cave hidden away in the deserted catacombs of the old city at the edge of the city’s inner wall.
They dumped handfuls of teabags and crumpled linen into a collective pile in the center of the cave as they emptied their pockets. Momoshiro sighed and scratched his head. “That really wasn’t worth all of that,” he said rubbing his throat. “Did he cut me? Did he give me a scar?” he asked as he inspected his throat for any sign of incision.
“You’re fine,” Kamio sighed. “Tonight did not go according to plan. We wasted time in there. I could have pulled three other jobs. What a waste.”
Eiji rolled his head back on his shoulders staring aimlessly at the cave’s jagged ceiling. “Who were those guys anyway?”
Kamio sat up and shook his head. “They were definitely hiding something. They’re upper nobility for sure. Did you see their clothing? If I were wearing those rags, I’d be able to give up my entire line of work, if you know what I mean. And the guy with the sword – he had silver rimmed glasses. Silver! Besides, no ordinary peasant stowaways travel with a mage with a sapphire knob.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter,” Eiji said, laying down for a long nap. “We’ll never see them again.”
The next morning, Kamio Akira was rudely awakened when Kikumaru threw a loaf of bread at his sleeping form. When he had rolled over and was just about to dig into his breakfast, Momoshiro came hurrying into the cave from his morning prowl.
“Guess what?” he teased. Eiji and Kamio both looked unimpressed so he continued. “There’s a reward out for those guys we met last night.”
Kamio snorted “We didn’t “meet” them. They almost killed us.”
“Reward?” Kikumaru said, his eyes and ears pricking with the mention of money.
Momo nodded enthusiastically. “Dead or alive, too. I guess they were more than they looked to be after all.”
“Well, how much is the reward?” Eiji pressed.
“3,000 gold coins!”
“You’re kidding!”
Kamio, however, was hesitant as he chewed his bread. “Did they say who these people are? 3,000 gold coins? That’s a royal decree, then, right?”
“Royal?” Momoshiro said with distaste. Kamio shrugged.
“So what should we do?” Eiji asked. “We do know where they’re staying, after all. I’d say we have a pretty good chance of finding them before they get too far.”
Kamio just shrugged again.
“3,000 in gold!” Momoshiro repeated emphatically. “That would last us for decades!”
Reluctantly, Kamio shook his head. “There’s something fishy about the whole thing. It stinks of the Regent.”
“The Regent? Rebels only take in about 500 in gold.”
“That’s why I’m worried,” Kamio responded.
“Well, are we going to go look for them or not?” Eiji asked.
“That won’t be necessary,” a new voice announced. The three street rats spun around into defensive positions as five unwelcome visitors entered their hideout. A man stepped forward and adjusted his square glasses, smiling eerily, “We apologize for arriving uninvited.”
“How did you find us?” Momoshiro sputtered.
The mage smiled, mischievously it seemed, and answered, “Tracking spell.”
“How did you get passed the wards?!” Kamio cried indignantly. The mage just shrugged innocently. “Those cost me 15 silvers! Those damned swindlers!”
“What are you doing here?” Eiji asked, drawing his rusted dagger as his friends did the same.
“No need for those,” the mage said. He waved his staff and the weapons leaped into his hands harmlessly.
“This is so unfair,” Momo uttered. “What do you people want?”
“We need you to find us a way out of the city,” Square-eyes said.
“You’re kidding,” Kamio snorted. “You people are wanted. And for 3,000 in gold. We should just turn you in!”
“And how were you planning on doing that exactly?” asked the swordsman who regarded them with a condescending glare.
Kamio scowled then sat himself down nonchalantly. “You’re wanted. The guards are out looking for you. You’ll never make it out of here.”
“That’s what we need you three for,” Square-eyes said. Kamio snorted. “You are familiar with the underground passages. You can lead us out.”
“Again, can and will are different things. Why should we?” Kamio asked. “Make us a deal then if you’re so desperate.” Immediately, a coin flipped through the air to land in front of his left knee. Momoshiro’s eyes nearly fell out of his head as Kamio held the coin up to the light.
“That’s a trump!” Momo cried out in disbelief. “That’s worth a thousand gold coins!”
“And another when you finish the job,” the green eyed man who had tossed it to them said calmly. “We don’t have much time.”
The three friends exchanged a silent conversation before Eiji said carefully, “We’ll lead you out of the city, no further than the outer city walls.”
The war mage stepped forward. “And if you try to run,” he tapped his staff gently, “we’ll find you.”
Eiji held up his head. They were street rats, but they’d never bail out on a deal. “Agreed.”
Kamio scurried to his feet as Eiji and Momoshiro began scrabbling about the cave collecting their things. “So where exactly are you gentlemen traveling to?” he smiled.
“Ellestor, with haste,” the green-eyed man replied.
“With haste. Right.”
“We should probably warn you now,” Eiji began, “that the only way out is through the sewers.” They made no comment and Eiji shrugged. Momoshiro chuckled and they shared a look. Wait ‘til they smell it.
The street rats led the group of five out of their cave and down the streets, heading towards the slums of the city.
“So, who are you people anyways?” Momoshiro asked.
The swordsman gave the same answer he had the night before: “That is none of your concern.” Momoshiro rolled his eyes and the swordsman glared eerily at him.
They traveled in silence until they reached the entrance to the sewers.
“Well, here we are,” Kamio announced and Momoshiro and Eiji snickered. He pulled back the hinged grates and they were suddenly overwhelmed with the stench of a city’s cumulative waste.
The street rats watched happily as the swordsman turned suddenly pale and the mage went distinctly green. Square-eyes had his hand up to the bridge of his nose, as if to adjust his glasses, but his hand never came back down. The man with the bandana made a gagging sound and quickly pulled the cloth over his nose.
“Told you they were upper-class,” Kamio said before suddenly jerking up in surprise.
The green-eyed man was grimacing, but pushed right by him into the sewer. “Come, it’s best we leave this city as soon as possible,” he said before disappearing beyond the doorway.
Looking pained, his companions immediately took off to follow him, leaving the three friends to exchange looks and slam the grate shut behind them.
“How much farther?” the man with the square glasses asked.
The group was making their way carefully along the slippery stone walkways that lined the sides of the sewer channels.
Momoshiro smirked. “Another 200 paces or so.” He snickered as he was sure the swordsman had just grunted unhappily. Suddenly, he pulled up to a halt as did Eiji and Kamio.
They had heard something. Noise echoed easily in the tunnels of the sewer network. The pace of the footsteps and the sharp barking sounds prompted the three to quickly turn back the way they had come.
“What is it?” asked the mage.
“Someone else is in the tunnels,” Eiji answered as he began to tuck his pant legs into his boots.
“What’s going on?” asked the swordsman.
“They’re looking for you guys,” Momoshiro explained. “We’re going to have to double back. They’ll have dogs,” he grimaced, “so we’re going to have to go in.”
“Go in?” The man with the bandana immediately paled.
Momoshiro smirked. “I’d start tucking in your pants.”
With extreme disgust, the group stepped into the sludge and headed back, fighting the current of the river. This time, they turned off to a corridor on the right.
They fought to quicken their pace, but the flow of the stream slowed their progress. For a few moments, the barking of the dogs seemed to drift farther away, indicating that perhaps they had lost their trail, but eventually, the howls of the hounds returned in full force, echoing fiercely throughout the sewer network. “They’re getting closer,” Kamio warned, prompting them to double their pace. “Almost there!” he announced when all of a sudden the dogs chasing them rounded the corridor in a ruckus of barks, snarls and howls. Not far behind them were a pack of foot soldiers and two dark-robed figures floating easily above the putrid waters.
“Black Mages!” Eiji cried out in shock. They attempted to run their last few paces to the exit which was just within sight. As the group pressed on, the mage with the sapphire capped staff stopped suddenly. “What are you doing?!” Eiji shouted above the din.
The mage had traveled with his staff raised above his head so that it wouldn’t drag in the murky waters, but now he leveled it parallel to the river and pointed it at their pursuers. “Go on,” he said calmly.
“Let him,” the swordsman said, pulling Eiji along with him as they splashed their way to the gate which Momoshiro had managed to throw open.
Kikumaru looked back in time to see the Black Mages casting towards the solitary figure standing before them. The lone mage cast back and suddenly the tunnel was engulfed in black and white flames. Eiji cried out just as the swordsman shoved him through the exit.
Kamio and Momoshiro stood shocked as the tunnels behind them rumbled. “Lead on,” the man with the bandana ordered.
“But-!” Eiji was about to protest.
“He has a tracking spell on you. He’ll catch up,” the swordsman said. Eiji’s jaw dropped. No matter how good he was, no one could stand against two Black Mages, the war mages of the royal house.
“Who the hell are you people?!” Kamio hissed even as they started down the street. He was furious. He should have known they were a bad deal to take. Who were these people who had a 3,000 gold bounty on their heads and were being chased by the city guard and not one, but two, Black Mages, only the most elite of all war mages in the kingdom? They could’ve died back there just like that idiot mage. He couldn’t believe they had just let their comrade play decoy like that. They had to be hardened criminals. Maybe even mass murderers. He shook his head. Still, even a mass murderer couldn’t command the Regent’s attention these days. Who the hell were they?!
If you would like to provide feedback on this story, please feel free to e-mail me at: poutonly@gmail.com.