Stop! Thief!
Greetings and welcome to my latest (sorry excuse for a) story.
As always, this is my story with my characters and my places. I will ask you not to use them without my permission. Any similarities to existing works or real events are coincidental. And so on and so forth, yaddayadda fine print, and you know the drill.
Update: More excess whatchajiggers, little buggers what look like this: Â. Again, sorry to any people that get bumped off the front page. Don't hate me. :'(
And so, without further ado:
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"Stop! Thief!"
The young rat cursed colorfully and ran faster. He didn't bother looking back, knowing that there were already several guards on his tail.
He focused on his escape, dodging and weaving through the crowd, in and out of hiding places as he tried to shake his pursuers. Though quicker and more agile than most humans, the detours were costing him time. He didn't look back but kept running fast, turning corners and ducking into crawlspaces. He turned a sharp corner and had the misfortune of running straight into another guard.
The guard grabbed him roughly by the arm and asked, "Going somewhere, rodent?"
Pausing only for a moment, he slammed his knee into the guard's groin as hard as he could, causing him to cry out and double over in pain.
He allowed himself a small smile, "You'd think that they would learn to protect themselves better."
He ducked into a narrow alleyway. Coming across a door, He kicked it in and quickly making his way up through the building, climbing up on to the roof. From there, he continued running, leaping across the gaps between the buildings, not slowing for a moment. He didn't even have to stop and think, he'd memorized the layout of the entire city, from the streets to the rooftops.
Then something happened that he didn't expect. Jumping down from a slightly raised roof he found that he had company.
A small human with bright blonde hair was sitting there on the roof, calmly reading a book as if nothing were out of the ordinary, despite that they were on the roof of a three story building with no access other than from adjoining roofs.
Looking up, he smiled pleasantly and said, "You know, you're not easy to find."
He didn't bother finding out what the man wanted, just turned and ran. That wasn't the only path back to the place he called home. there were hundreds of alternatives to get there. Let the man try and follow him. No one knew this city better than he did. He dropped down to street level for the moment, hitting the ground without even a pause, and barrelled off through the alleyways.
After what seemed like an eternity, he stopped to catch his breath. Leaning back against a wall, he closed his eyes, tried to force his heart to stop beating so fast and wondered idly who that man had been...
"I think we lost him."
He opened his eyes to see that same man sitting on the ground across the alley, his back against the wall as he turned a page in his book. Without a second thought, he took off again, amazed that the man had found him so easily.
He took a long winding route through the city to shake off his newest pursuer. He caught no glimpse of that bright blonde hair, so unusual in this part of the world, and finally made his way back home. He felt a sense of relief as he arrived in the slums. He might spend most of his time away, but this was his home, the only one he knew. He was a bit angry that he had dropped the food he had stolen during his attempts at evading the short man, but figured the trade-off was worth it. He could go without food for one more night.
He turned down an alley and padded up some steps to a small flat. Opening the door he slipped in and closed it quietly behind his. The place had been abandoned for some time but there was no sense in drawing attention to himself. So relieved was he to be home that it took a few seconds for the light of the candle to register in his brain.
He stopped and turned slowly. There he was again. That same man with the bright blonde hair and the knowing smile, calmly reading that book of his by candle light.
"Now then, are you going to hear me out, or are you going to run off again?"
"Who are you?" He demanded, angry at himself for being pursued so easily.
Without looking up from his book, the man said, "I am Spiral. I've been watching you for some time now, my lad. You've got a lot of potential, and I'd like to offer you a way to realize that potential. I'd like to introduce you to a whole new world."
His voice was steady and firm, but not angry. It radiated an infectious calm and the young rat's anger faltered for the briefest moment.
"And what possible reason is there for me to trust you?" he asked.
"A very good question. There is no reason. You have no cause to trust me whatsoever. I'm a stranger, you don't know me. For all you know I could turn you over to the city guard, or kidnap you and make you my slave. What cause have you to trust someone else when you've only ever been able to trust yourself? All I can offer you is my word that you can trust me. You may not believe me, but I take my word very seriously, Alan."
"Al'lan." the rat corrected, not impressed in the least that this "Spiral" knew his name.
"Certainly. Al'lan of Clan Rattus. Aged fifteen. Kidnapped from your parents, what? Ten years ago? By slavers. You were brought to this city. You escaped and have been living on the streets since, trying to survive, stealing food when necessary. A year or two ago, you briefly considered prostitution as a way to abate your money worries, but ultimately decided against this path, sealing your decision by killing a pimp who tried to force you into the business. You don't go out of your way to do so, but when you can you try and help the other people in this area. You taught yourself how to read, and you know basic numbers, but you don't have much time for scholastic activities."
"So you know how to ask around. I've lived in this city my whole life, isn't like people don't notice me." Al'lan said dismissively.
"That's true enough, but I didn't really come here to discuss the finer points of your life. Down to business. You are going to work for me."
"And supposing I say no?"
Spiral's eyes, where previously smooth and reflective, balking any attempt at divining what lay beneath, suddenly seemed to open up, betraying a depth that Al'lan could not help but stare into, paralyzing him as he gazed into them, "I'm afraid that I was not offering you a choice."
At that moment the wall of the building disintegrated, revealing a tall dark-skinned human and a Lupus Nojin.
Startled by their arrival, he tried to run, to get away, but found himself unable to tear himself away from Spiral's gaze.
Spiral smiled and released him, his eyes once again taking a reflective expression, then looked over at the new arrivals.
"These are two of your future fellow employees. The, for lack of a better term, human is named Jericho and the hairy one is Kameryn. Jericho here will be helping me bring you into the fold. He's got the most marvelously persuasive personality."
As he spoke, the large wolf, Kameryn, ran over and threw himself to the floor at Spiral's feet, his long tail wagging furiously as he gazed up at Spiral with such adoration that it may as well have been worship. It was an odd sight as Kameryn was nearly twice Spiral's size.
The human, Jericho, snorted in contempt but otherwise said nothing.Smiling down at Kameryn for a moment, Spiral's eyes returned to Al'lan, "Good employees are hard to find and loyalty is always a deciding factor. Unlike a certain mage I know," Spiral said glancing pointedly at Jericho who merely glared back at him with as much contempt as Kameryn had with adoration, "Kameryn here worships the ground I walk on. I'm afraid he's a bit slow in the brains department, and a bit too trusting sometimes, but he's loyal. The proverbial 'cat's meow' if you'll pardon the joke" Then to Jericho he said, "Now, Jericho, do your thing."
Al'lan looked toward the human as he began chanting. He had heard stories of magic, even if he'd never seen it happen in person, so instantly recognized that a spell was being cast. He tried to stand, only to be betrayed by his suddenly weak knees. Al'lan found himself getting tired and his mind struggled to string together a coherent thought as the world came crashing down around him.
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By the time I awoke the sun had already set and though I was lying on the ground, Spiral and his lackeys did not appear to be particularly worried about me. I sat up, my head aching, and looked around. Spiral had gone back to his book with Kameryn laying curled up asleep at his feet. Jericho sat nearby, eyes closed, possibly in prayer, lips moving occasionally.
Spiral cast me half a glance and returned to his book. I tried to speak a few times but kept finding myself with the overwhelming urge to remain silent whenever I tried. I tried standing but the best I was able to do was get on my knees, with the overwhelming urge to remain where I was, believing, even as I recognized the ridiculousness of the belief, that something bad would happen.
So I just sat there, waiting for some explanation. Hours passed and none of the trio even took notice of me. Hours more passed. By the time the sun began peeking over the horizon, the anger that had initially filled my thoughts had given way to panic. I wanted to get away, to run screaming for my life, to call out for help, but every time I tried to do these things, I found myself hit with the overwhelming urge to not do these things. Aside from a few quiet yelps from the dreaming Kameryn, no one had said a word all night, Spiral continued reading and Jericho continued his prayers.
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Without looking up, Spiral said to Al'lan, "I imagine you must be wondering what's going on, is that right?"
Al'lan nodded. "It's quite simple, really. You can't move or speak until given leave to do so. It was part of the contract you're now a part of."
Al'lan's eyes narrowed in suspicion. If there was one thing he knew about contracts, it was that he had to agree to it for it to be binding. He didn't believe that he had somehow been convinced to do so in his sleep. But then, how else could he control me? He asked himself, then quickly dismissed the thought. More likely it is some trick of Jericho's He thought as he looked over to the man who sat against the wall on the other side of the room. He had magic enough to make the wall disintegrate, but what other magics did he possess?
Spiral merely watched his mind work with a grin, not needing to be telepathic to know what he was thinking.
"I tell you the truth, my friend. You are part of a binding contract applying to your entire clan. You will serve me willingly until such time as I release you from that bond or the terms of the contract are met. You are to obey my every command willingly and to give me the respect I am due. Such is the oath I required from Jericho, and such is the oath I require from you. When we arrive at our destination, you will be presented with a copy of the contract, for your perusal. It's all cut and dry really, the...let's see, yes, the 'Dux' I believe it was, anyway, the leader of the clan signed over the entirely of his people into my service in exchange for protection from the enemies he had made the clan. Not a very bright individual, I'm afraid, he had to be...removed from power, shall we say.
"But let's not get ahead of ourselves, here. You're new so we'll take a few moments to explain a few things." Spiral looked down at Kameryn who had remained asleep during their short conversation, "I imagine that your first question would be on the nature of Kameryn here, am I right?"
Al'lan nodded. He had not met any members of the other Nojin Clans, much less any other race other than the Humans that populated the city, and had only heard stories about them.
"As I'm sure you've guessed, Kameryn is a Lupus Nojin. I understand he was a bit of a black sheep to his people, or a black wolf as the case may be. Left for dead in the wilderness as a baby for his black fur, they said it was a bad omen, very superstitious people the Lupus. Anyway, I came across him not too long after in my travels and adopted him. It was a lot of trouble to raise and train him but he's proven more than worth the effort. He's not your typical Nojin; As I mentioned earlier, he's not very bright, and his pride lies in being a perfect servant for me, rather than in the noble ancestry that spawned him or the god that created his people. This, perhaps unfortunately, causes him to act in a manner that you may find typical of a common house pet, but what are you gonna do, huh?"
He was silent for a long moment, as if thinking of anything he might have missed, then said, "Back for just a moment, to the contract. Don't think you can simply leave and have done with it, boyo, my lad. Even if it were possible to escape my notice via normal means, you'll never do so while you're wearing my mark." He nodded to Al'lan chest. Al'lan, noticing for the first time that he wasn't wearing his shirt, which was lying on the ground beside him, looked down at his chest. A large red spiral was colored into the fur there. "That is what you call a magic brand. It's a part of you for as long as you wear it. It's not just fancy fur coloring either, it goes down to your skin, down to your soul. Until Jericho removes it, it will remain. But don't worry, it can be covered up if you don't like it. It doesn't need to be visible for me to locate you when I need to.
"And don't worry, my lad, any life I can offer you will be much better than the meager existence you have managed to make for yourself thus far. I'd say giving up a little bit of freedom is worth the cost, and I'm sure you will too, in time. You don't have to like me to appreciate all I'll do for you. Observe."
Spiral turned to Jericho who had opened his eyes and was watching passively.
"Jericho, tell me how you feel about me."
"I hate you, I despise you with every fiber of my being. I would kill you if given half a chance, and will rejoice the day my servitude ends."
Spiral chuckled, "And if given the chance would you ever go back to the life you had before me?"
"Never. Despite my hatred, I would never have reached the level I have without your help. You have delivered everything you promised and more. You have devoted great quantities of wealth to help my village and family and have even paid for my medical education, though you had no reason to do so. I will always pay you the respect you deserve, and serve you, even without having sworn it, for the great things you have done for my people. But I will never forget my hatred of you."
Spiral turned back to Al'lan. "Do you see? In time you will understand, I'm sure. Now, on your feet all of you."
Kameryn was awake and on his feet in an instant, but Jericho took as much time as he possibly could to perform the task, his every movement betraying just how much he despised Spiral. Casting half a glance at Al'lan, Spiral said, "You may speak and move as you will until given orders to do otherwise."
Al'lan bent down and picked up his shirt, slipping it on over his head.
"Now don't dawdle, boys, we've got things to do, people to see, and our young Rattus friend needs to begin training. Jericho, if you would."
Jericho began to chant another spell and soon all four of them were gone. The wall reappeared and the minds of anyone in the city who had had contact with the young rat were wiped clean of any memories of him. Any trace of his presence was meticulously removed and by the end of process there was no indication that he had ever existed at all. It was a start.