The Lonesome Rogues

From the moment Kana Tresdyre met her dear friend Woz, she knew one thing for certain.

She hated him.

Hated him with a passion she'd previously reserved for people who'd done things more on the level of child kidnapping and... murder. Actually, it took quite a lot to get her to hate someone, it wasn't an emotion she was used to feeling. But Woz was a special kind of person, in that... he was an asshole.

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When the boat finally arrived in Kalus, Kana didn’t lend herself any time for sight-seeing. In a town like this, she had one objective. Find work, and find it fast. A quick ask around with the local sailors gave her all the information she needed. There was a tavern, a little into the centre of the town, where people often posted adverts for jobs they needed doing. Being in a port town meant there would be lots of them… Kana hoped.

Kalus was loud. Busy. Packed with so many sounds and scents she could barely tell one from the other. Merchants shouting about their prices and wares, the smell of freshly baked bread, the familiar salt of the sea and… beggars asking for spare coin. There were so many… Kana reached into the bag of coins in her pocket and sighed, watching the sun glint on the edge of the gold as she passed each one through her fingers. She didn’t have much, but she could spare something to help at least one of them. A few feet ahead of her, there was someone in particular. It was a man, a dark elf, with scars and bruises scattered over his arms and neck like oversized confetti. His eyes were covered with bandages. He slumped against a wall, his legs in a mangled heap beneath him. Kana headed towards him, coin in hand, and tossed it gently into his bag.

“Yiras ai tema.” She murmured softly, wishing him safety and blessings in the little of the old language that she knew. Hopefully, the coin could get him some medicine, at least. The elf simply grunted, too exhausted to form a word.

Kana continued forward, feeling the soles of her feet touch the stone every now and then through the holes in her worn down shoes. A few minutes later, she’d found the tavern. ‘The Doe’s Tail’. Inside was quiet, compared to the town at least. A few day drinkers, who very much looked the part, sat at the bar; one of them desperately tried and failed to wink at the barmaid, who simply asked if he needed a medic. Kana smiled at that, scanning the room for where the quests could have been posted.

“Looking for work, hon?” The barmaid drawled, balancing a tray of glasses on her hip. Kana nodded, and the barmaid gestured to a board hanging from the far wall. It was almost completely covered in paper notices with reward values in huge letters on each one. "Take your pick."

“Thank you.” Kana replied with a swift nod, weaving through the tables to get the board. The floor was slightly sticky under her feet as she walked, and she wondered how much careless spilling it had taken to make it this bad.

Reading each quest, she sighed. Most of them were high-reward but also completely un-survivable. However, that one... She reached for a poster with a decent reward, 500 silvers to retrieve some ingredients for a local alchemist. It almost seemed a little...

"Too good to be true, right?" Kana jumped, her hand flying to the hilt of her sword. Beside her was a hooded man, daggers strapped to either of his legs, staring at the quest she held.

"...Yeah." She muttered, loosing a breath as she relaxed her hand. She normally sensed people from miles away, how did he sneak up on her like that?

The man wore a dark leather armour set with metal shoulder guards. His daggers were scratched and worn; well used, but sharp as anything. A rogue, she gathered. He towered over her in height, but the hood he wore obscured all but the bottom half of his face.

"A little too easy. Seems strange." Kana muttered, rereading the details to check she hadn't missed anything.

"It's fine, I know the guy. He's lazy, but generous." The rogue said simply.

"Oh, right.” She paused, trying to discern whether or not it was worth the risk. “Why tell me that? Why not lie and take it for yourself?”

The man simply shrugged. “You got here first. And I'm a man of honour.”

"Uh huh..."

Kana hesitated for a moment. The whole situation was weird, but… she was desperately broke.

She took a breath. “Okay, in that case. Thank you.” Tucking the poster into her trouser pocket, she nodded in thanks. This was good. Maybe she’d actually be able to pay for somewhere to stay that night.

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Most quest papers were imbued with location enchantments; magic that could lead the user to the required location. Something that Kana was incredibly thankful for. It was a strange feeling, to go from having no idea where you are to suddenly having the place you need to go imprinted in your head. She took the quest paper out of her pocket, reading it over and over again for any more details. Normally, she would’ve gone to talk to the quest giver for more information first. But overhead the sun sank lower and lower, there was no time to waste if she wanted to stay off of the streets tonight. 

This part of Kalus was strangely peaceful. The main city faded into huge grassy hills, with mountains peeking out from behind. There were no footpaths, only seemingly untouched ground leading to a small forest up ahead. 

There were no footpaths.

People don't come here.

‘That’s not good.’

Behind her, something growled. A low, rumbling sound that gave Kana goosebumps. Slowly, she turned, right hand reaching for the hilt of her sword. She faced the creature, drawing her sword as her eyes met theirs. Its skin was sooty black and…. Shiny, as if it was covered with tar. It was humanoid, but its joints bent backwards and unnaturally. The eyes that peered back at her, however, could not have been further from human. It ran at her, crooked arms flailing as clawed hands reached for her face. Kana swung her sword. It sang as it soared through flesh and bone like a hand through water. The creature squealed, faltering slightly. She took advantage, swinging again - this time at the neck. A slice, a scream, a thud. 

Kana loosed a breath, gently wiping her blade clean in the grass. That explained the quest reward - and the fact that there were no pathways. This would be harder than she’d thought.

Keeping her sword gripped in her hand, she headed towards the forest. Glad for her fae senses as she walked - heightened sight and hearing that kept her aware of every movement and sound around her. The tree-crawlers above her, the fencats in the undergrowth, even the insects buzzing metres away from her. She froze as her foot sank into something… sticky. Crouching down, she rubbed a little between her fingers. Thick, black paste that smelled like something decaying. The monster from before - that’s what this was from. She needed to be fast; the clearing where the plants she needed for the quest grew was only a little further ahead. And, with monsters like that around, she didn’t want to be there any longer than she had to. Her nose scrunched up at the smell.

“Ugh…” she muttered, wiping the paste from her hand onto the leafy ground, “why did I touch that?”

Something snarled behind her. It was close. So much for avoiding the monsters… Footsteps thudded, getting closer and closer. Kana whirled, sword swinging, the blade hitting home as it sliced across the creature’s chest. It wailed. Injured - but not dead. More snarls, from her left - her right. Five.

Five.

She was surrounded. One swiped for her face, another for her side. She hissed, kicking one away as she swung at the other. A moment, that was all she needed. Just one moment to dig into that energy, that power in her veins. One moment.

Breathe.

Kana ran a finger across the flat face of her sword. It lit, the flames dancing across its blade. With a wave of her arm, more fire swarmed from her hand, charging towards the monsters and clinging to their bodies hungrily. She leapt forwards, swiping with the burning sword and cutting the creatures down, one by one. That smell choked her, stealing her focus. Kana held back a scream as one dug its claws deep into her back. She kicked, turning to cut off its rancid head. When four were finally dead, one turned to run, squealing and wheezing as it went. She grabbed a dagger from the scabbard at her thigh and threw it, hitting the creature right at the base of its neck. It fell, letting out a last bitter growl.

Kana fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Warm blood was dripping down her face, her side, her back. She winced at the pain. Those things had gone straight through her armour. Her vision blurred as she hauled her body to lean against a tree. Catch her breath, that’s all she needed to do. Reaching to feel the wounds on her side, her heart rate quickened. She choked, her breath coming in spurts. Those things had punctured her lung…

There was a sound - boots on dry leaves. Kana gripped another dagger, willing the strength to throw it to her arms. No target came. But… she squinted. She could’ve sworn she’d seen someone walking for a moment. Another sound. Then a hand on hers. She gasped, trying to push against it. Then, suddenly visible, the man from the inn.

“You?” She choked, keeping her dagger aimed. “Why… did you… send me here?” The man placed a finger on his lips.

"Drink this." He whispered, placing a bottle in her lap. The wine red colour and sweet smell instantly told Kana what it was - healing cordial. He could’ve poisoned it, Gods knew she couldn’t trust him now, but if she didn’t drink it…Well, she’d die anyway. She lowered her hand, un-stoppered the bottle and glugged it down. The man walked away, towards the plants for the quest. Kana panted, feeling the wounds on her body slowly begin to knit back together.

“What are you… doing?” She questioned again, watching as he took the plants and tucked them into his pockets. Something was wrong, she felt weak. The potion had kicked in, she should be feeling better. “What did you… put in this?”

He glanced at her for a moment, making his way back to where she sat.

"Thanks for taking care of the monsters for me." He grinned, fading into invisibility again.

"You...” Kana managed, before she couldn’t fight the sedative any longer.

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Kana breathed out, blinking her eyes open. She was still in the forest, and the sun that had beem hours away from setting before was now sunk out of sight. That man… she’d kill him. Rage burned at her throat as she stood, sliding her sword into its scabbard. She flipped her hand, creating a flame bright enough to light her way out of the forest. The quest was still active… That man must be waiting till morning to hand it in. She gritted her teeth; if she could get to the alchemist’s home before him, maybe she could get the plants back. 

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The sun was just beginning to rise as Kana waited by the alchemist’s house. Mercifully, it hadn’t been too far from the forest. She hid behind the welcome sign, waiting not-so-patiently for the man to arrive. The town was just starting to come to life, locals and tourists crowding around shops and stalls. Tempting smells of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air, making Kana remember how long it’d been since she’d last eaten. Footsteps neared her. She peeked over the top of the sign. It was him. He reached for the door.

Summoning every bit of anger and energy she had, Kana slipped behind him, clasping a hand over his mouth and dragging him behind the building. He shrugged her off, snatching a dagger from his belt. Kana did the same, holding hers at his side as he moved his to her throat. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed, pressing the dagger harder against her skin. His voice was gruff, as if he'd spent the night drinking more than he could handle.

“Try it. I die, you die too.” She replied, twisting hers slightly. Glancing down, he realised she wasn’t lying. The position that the dagger was poised in meant one hard push would send it straight into his heart. 

“Alright. Step back and I’ll do the same.”

“What? So you can run off with those plants again? No way.”

“I got them fair and square.” 

“You tricked me! How is that ‘fair and square’?” Kana said incredulously, gritting her teeth.

“You trusted someone you’d never met, that’s not my fault.” He laughed, “I knew you’d be naïve enough to con after you gave me that coin.”

“What are you talking about?” 

He raised his head slightly, revealing pointed ears and bandaged eyes. The beggar… It was him. Her anger got the better of her then. She laughed bitterly, thudding her knee between his legs. He groaned, falling to his knees. “What is wrong with you?” He choked, cursing at her under his breath. She snatched the plants from his jacket and went to walk away, lifting her eyes to see-

“Ah, so you did manage to get my ingredients. Which one of you do I have to thank?”

The alchemist.

Crap.