Oh bollocks, what did I do last night?
Let's see... hm... do forgive me, I have a rather bad headache and a sore neck. So, I was turning in a lost egg with a bunch of others, knives tucked away and pack of cards slipped into my chest-pocket. There was a dragon with an oddly motherly tone and figure, taking in the egg and giving us a token or gem or something as a sign of gratitude. My group walked off towards the local inn, intent on retrieving their gear for tomorrow with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Though, I remained behind for some additional reward. I remember some chanting and all, how I was being taught some old Draconian magic. "I'm not really familiar with the language, no." That was what I said, but she still insisted on getting me rolling my tongue and clenching my teeth. Bugger, I remember a few tones and a sheet of paper that she handed to me, now scrunched and lying in my closed palm.
Let's fast forward to now. I'm sitting in a dark alleyway, head against wall. I have a little bit of stale blood that's stuck on my scales, able to taste as it came from my mouth. My thick clothes are somewhat damp and wrapped tightly around myself. What sort of thing did I do? Looks as if I'm destined to be some shark of cards, rather than merchant of death. Anything over needless violence though, I just cared for cash. Maybe that's what gotten me lying in a ditch.
Let's go to after having the lady teach me an unfamiliar language. I thanked her for the potentially potent spell (we were out of healers), she went on her way with egg cradled within her arms. I looked back towards my friends, now far away and blending in with the main crowd at the inn. I'd imagine they'd forgotten about me, but it was likely that they thought I could walk my way back to the inn.
Yeah, that's where things start to get rather blurry. My headache doesn't help, and may have contributed to the effects of memory loss. There was... a kid. Yeah, a Kobold kid out in the middle of the street. Hhe seemed to have followed the rest of the village to the Stronghold, but he looked lost and unaware of his surroundings. Heck, you could tell by the rags wrapped around his waist that he was pretty much homeless and without anyone else in the world. Kobold usually had family values (my dad being an exception), but we were also nomads - orphans weren't uncommon after large-scale movements. As the night went darker and the streets quieter, I redirected my route away from the inn and towards the kid, who was a couple of buildings away being illuminated by lanterns on the wall. If he had parents, they wouldn't let him be wandering around in this place dead of night.
By the time I got to the kid, the only things remaining were ourselves and a bunch of carts in the middle of the night. It seemed as if the dragons had their own places to sleep and relax in, and this place was originally reserved for Drakes. Emphasis on ORIGINALLY. Whole street looked largely abandoned already as everyone went out of their way to avoid a confrontation with one-another.
Anyway... from what I can remember, the kid looked like a mess. Reminded me of myself, actually. Something was off about him as he kept looking down, likely from having nothing to look forward to. As I got closer to him, he shifted a little and eventually looked up at me. He seemed a bit startled as I reached in my pockets, pulling out a pack of cards and letting the kid calm down. "Hey. Where are your parents?" I asked, shuffling them around as the kid continued clutching his legs and internally screaming. He certainly looked like it, poor thing. A few seconds pass and I realise the kid can't even speak, eventually bobbing his head down and sighing. I looked around to see if this was some of kind, noting a lack of presence between the trees and broken marble pieces of the other side of the road. "Hey, kid." I bent down to the kid's level, a little confused at my sense of compassion towards him. "You alright? What's your name?"
A few minutes pass as I sit by him, eventually stopping with the card shuffling. Streets were quiet with crickets beating their legs or wings or whatever, just the pair of us being illuminated by the fire of oil. I wanted to press on with questions, but he didn't seem keen on answering. In fact, I realised he was a mute, too scared by whatever to even speak to me. Occasionally he looked onto me and eventually let his legs out, revealing a rather badly busted face and look of famine. The kid was too young for whatever happened to him. He was shaking and seemed to be ready to pounce away, wiping dry tears away and looking into the dark. "Drake did this to you?" He nodded his head and clutched his arms as I spoke for the first time in the night. I think he tried to point at me but just shifted a bit away from me, revealing a small bloodied dagger under where he was sitting. He looked at me dead in the eyes, terrified as I just stared and looked away, half-expecting him to run.
Rather... ow, my head. Anyway, he started to cry, letting out a whimper as his face turned into the rainy season. "Hey, knock it off. You're obviously safer now." I gave a smile, but I was worried about his state of health and mind. He rubbed his eyes and steered his noggin towards at the pack of cards in my hand, opening an opportunity to cheer him up. Now, I get I have a rather bad headache at the moment, but I can safely say that if you thought I was going to choke him out of any remaining cash left, then you're a bit of a pessimistic jerk. I'd probably do it off regular homeless, but not kids like him. This lad looked as if he survived a bloody war.
So, I just started shuffling my cards and put away half the deck, spinning a few around my fingers and through sleeves. Eventually I came up with five cards towards the kid, who seemed confused as he looked back and forth between the cards on my palm and my Draconian face. "Pick a card, kid. I promise you it's not a trick." The Kobold kid slowly but steadily placed his finger in the middle of the little deck I was hiding from him, pulling out a card which I guessed was three of spades. "Three of spades?" He wagged the card towards me, revealing a single heart. I was a little defeated but found it cute for him to get that particular card, as well as getting him smile for the first time I saw him. "Oh well. You can keep it, just don't fold it." I said to him, proud of the fact I was helping out a street urchin like myself.
And... I can't actually remember what came next. He... he bolted off. Stood up, leaped and ran. Left with his dagger remaining by my hand. I stood up as well and called for the kid in the night, while I turned around to see two men in layered clothing walking towards the child's direction. Seemed as if the child was running away from those trolls.
You know, the more I think about it, the more likely it is that I just hit my head and dreamed that someone was looking out for me when I started on the streets. I mean, a kid with a dagger? Helped by a guy with a bunch of cards? Running away from the very trolls that kidnapped him?
Regardless, it's a tale to be told, truth or not. Those trolls looked like scrawny backstabbers, but I couldn't resist following them. A few steps forward and I had one troll looking in my direction, confused as to why there was a seemingly well-dressed Drake in the middle of the night. "Mate, have you seen a kid around here? He's armed and got a knife." I noticed the slash wound on his neck, barely patched up with string and sewing needle. Seemed more likely by the second they were the kid's holders.
"Yeah, sure I did. He's gone off to 'bugger-off-and-die' street." To be honest, I didn't expect a fight. More importantly, I didn't even know I blurted that out loud. I didn't really know what happened, but I knew when I woke up I had won somewhat. There was one goblin under a stack of marble and another one just lying on the floor. I smirked as I helped the kid get away - even if he wasn't an angel, he didn't exactly deserve a bashed face and terror. I got up, avoiding the pair of unconscious trolls (as in I heard them groaning, forcing me to start running out the alley) and reaching rising daylight on the streets. I could see my party members grouping inside the inn from the windows, whilst I was walking and passing by many different people. I felt better after the events of last night, opening and closing the door to the inn with a bruised smile.
I think I recalled seeing the kid swiping a few coins with the card I gave out earlier, somewhere in the distance. Oh well, that's his fantasy he wants to live, I guess.
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