I'm walking, and it's raining.

How apropos…

Big, fat globules of heaven's berth fall around me, like the tears of the angels the Cathedral lectors told the children of Tristram about on summer afternoons. If I wasn't so emotionally winded, I'd smile remembering those times.

The wet dirt scuffs and slides under my boot heel. I sniff.

For whatever reason, I feel utterly old, my outer appearance and my inner turmoil finally matching.

It's not that I'm sad, it's just that I'm so…

…stretched…

From one revelation to another, it is certainly different for me.

The one God help me, for I am without a path.

Things happened so quickly, so abruptly that I couldn't react to everything.

After Talia… Blood Raven said… Megara's… ach…

My mind is so bloated with incredible and credible reasons and causes for why I am here and not there.

It felt right to go at the time, and I honored my word as I always did. I left, and I don't feel I know why, even though I do know…

For once, I wish I had my mother to run to and cry with. However, as a demonic bastard in all definitions, I wasn't left with such an avenue of escape.

I am henceforth dubbed fucked and abandoned. If I meet another on my way to wherever, I'll say "I am dead now, and good luck, everyone out there hates you. Good day/evening."

I stop to take a piss on the side of the road. I offhandedly notice the clarity of my piss, evidence of the fact that my main diet has been water and not much else for a few days now. The loaf of hard bread I got from the brief raid of Ogden's stocks was enough to keep me for a week, but with my appetite I had it scoffed down in a matter of hours, spaced with dregs of tea that was fresh-brewed when Adria somehow snuck it into my pack (with a note wishing me well… among other things…), but was quite cold and tannic by the time I stopped to eat and unlatched the thermosse…

"Nha Kve" I mutter to the moss I'm relieving myself on. The ruglike growth turns a bluey purple and sprouts small grey flowers. The colors of the plant resemble my mood…

As I finish up and relace my breeches, I delve back into my hindsight, once again playing over in discriminate review what led me here…

It started with…

I woke up in my bed, aching and sore from all of today's confrontations and bruisings. My crotch still ached from the abuse it got from the ogre, Murla. I still wanted to finish business with that sack of ugly. A headbutt's not enough to get even with somebody tries to demolish a man's pride.

I leaned up, and as the sheets fell off me I noticed I was naked. I attributed that to Pepin's tending to me while I was unconscious, seeing as he always did that when I fought with the neighborhood boys when I was 4 autumns younger.

Tossing the sheets off of my legs, I got up and was startled by the sight of Blood Raven in my desk chair. What frightened me the most about this was she wasn't looking hungrily at my man parts, but instead looked terribly concerned.

She smiled awkwardly and sighed, and then met my eyes. "Agrius. Glad to see you up. I've gotta talk with you."

I pulled up a wooden folding chair from under my bed and sat with my elbows on my knees, leaning forward. The rogue captain sighed again, pinching her nasion, and then looked at me again. "This is going to be a bit hard for you, Agrius. I'm kind of split in this issue, but I'm going to help you."

Now I was confused. A sheet of ugly dread falls over my shoulders, billowing and causing my physical ache to become indiscernible from my emotional ache.

"First," she said, "you must understand that I'm not against you. Next, there're some things you got into that I wasn't aware of at the time."

The feeling just got worse. I swallowed.

"It's not like you knew why she was here, but… dammit, I'm jus' making you nervous. The point is," Blood Raven clasped her hands. "Talia, the girl you've obviously got reacquainted with, is now part of the Sightless Eye's Rogue Sisterhood, and has been since about ten or so months back."

I was now seriously freaking out internally, but I didn't show it. I listened intently as she went on.

"Talia's Sisterhood name is Sarina, and is a fairly notable Axe Maiden, soon to become a commanding officer as a Battlemaid. Now, 'Sarina' has obviously done something horrible enough to get you pissed, but Kashya and the rest aren't listening to good to me, seeing as we've…" She blushed a little, acting as young as she looked for a second. "… had some relations, making me a little biased. So I can't exactly testify on your judgment…"

"Judgment?!" I exclaimed "Whatever for?!"

Blood Raven's eyebrow twitched "I'm getting to that, lover boy. Apparently," her eyes hardened. "You've killed three of the Sisterhood, and made one lame. Before you say anything, I know you were fully enabled to have done worse, but Kashya thinks you deliberately sought out Talia, looking for revenge for the weird bullshit that she pulled on you. Of course, Miz Farrian conveniently left out the other girl you were chasing, but nothing I say will change what's going to happen."

She sighed again.

"You're going to be tried under Sisterhood law for harming honorable Rogues." Now my eyebrow twitched. "The accurate damages are as follows: One Sister was killed by 'a club in the brain', although her club was still at her side when she died. Her forehead was effectively caved-in, and died within an hour."

"She tried to rape me!"

"I know, Agrius. Talia and her company have been called up on this before! Let me finish."

She huffed.

"Then we have a girl whose cervix was effectively ruined, and she bled freely-"

"Same thing!"

"Dammit, pay attention! They say she died from blood loss, but Tompha has been notorious for her lack of hygiene, and probably contracted blood poisoning after her hymen broke. Talia's effectively pinned that on you, there's no denying HOW she went. Next, we have a female eunuch that got done in by a magic blast of some sort. Damn thing blew her ass off her body and melted her eyes right out of their sockets."

"That was the demoness!"

"I am aware, Agrius. But seeing as you were also there, the magic's a bit too indiscernible. Hell, the demon thing was hushed up, seeing as the Sisterhood doesn't want anyone to know the rather illegal practices we are taking advantage of."

"Dammit," I muttered.

Blood Raven put a hand on my shoulder. "I know, Agrius, I know."

I looked at her in despondence. "You aren't me, Blood Raven! This fucking sucks."

"I'm fully empathetic, Agrius. I had a bit of this growing up. `Cept it was larceny and nymphomania, but it's generally in the same ballpark."

I felt marginally better, somehow. I sighed.

Blood Raven continued with her rap "And finally we have some poor dove who got a nasty shard of old wood shoved in her lower back. She'll never walk again, but there's hope for her in the Outposters in a Scout Tower. That's the only count that can't really be pinned on you, seeing as the poor girl actually di'n't blame you for it when she woke up. Sarina's a bit pissed that she won't testify against you. Still, they have enough 'evidence' to pin her position up to 'delirium and being an ass pain'." Believe that shit if you can…"

I thought for a moment. "What about Megara? Won't she speak for me?"

Blood Raven raised an eyebrow "Why would you want her? However, I tried to reach her, but she said she didn't recall any such thing, and then her mother threw me out the door with a spell and slammed it closed."

I felt something was wrong. "That's strange. I got the feeling she was less of a bitch after I got through with her" Blood Raven smirked. "I didn't have to have sex with her or anything. I mean, I did break her hymen and stick my tongue in her hole, but it was more conversational as a confrontation than anything…" Blood Raven grinned conspiratorially. "It wasn't like that, I swear!"

"I'm jus' fuckin' with you, lover boy. I know you better than you think…"

I grunted with irritation.

"However," Blood Raven tapped an index finger on her luscious bottom lip, "I believe there's something wrong here. I have a feeling that Talia paid you a visit for something other than getting reacquainted her way. I think she wanted to get more than even. I think she wanted to put you up for a frame job. Wasn't she a little stranger than usual with you, like her skin wasn't on right?"

I blinked. "Come to think of it… Aw, fuck, come on! I'm a bigger idiot than I thought!" I held my head in my palms and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Don't sell yourself short, kid," Blood Raven consoled, "Talia, Sarina as it were, is an incredibly sharp girl, even though she has issues. That's why she's so favored in this. But I think there won't be too much at stake, as long as you stay neutral and you don't do or say anything particularly stu—" I gave her a look. "- unpolitick. I might not exactly be 'there' for you in this trial, but I'm there for you in this trial."

I smiled a bit more sincerely now. "Okay. I trust you. Wish me luck."

Blood Raven smirks "Alright then," She clapped her hands on her thighs, and rose from her seat. "See you tomorrow. This should be interesting. If Sarina wins, I'll kick her teeth in for you." My tryst ambled out the door, hips swinging.

"See you," I replied.

I heard her footsteps through the hallway, down the stairs, across the main room, and out the door. I heard her subtle heartbeat over the cacophonous traveling minstrels, and I listened to her fervent, sobbing breaths.

It was a nice attempt at an act.

I mean, she told the truth, but there's not gonna be a trial. Hell, they'll prolly drag me outta bed before dawn, scourge and beat me, truss me up, read some rights, put on a display of demanding opposing evidence, where all favorable parties are barred, and then finally burn or behead me.

It's not that the Sisterhood's bad, but that I'd fucked with them too deep and too quickly, and they needed an example. Plus, I knew a very dangerous secret about them. If that didn't get me killed, I didn't know what would.

I've got to go, no excuses. This town has already wanted to get rid of me, and they're gonna get their wish after all these years.

Gotta love the skin I'm in, people.

I rose, not in the least bothered by the cold, and went to my cloth chest. I put on my thickest braies, then a good pair of grey everset dungaree trousers. I dug through until I found my better woolies and shoved them on my feet all the way up to just below my knees. I looked out the window and outside my door to ensure no one was checking out what was happening (I had bumped into various articles of crap from my trunks that Blood Raven neglected to replace when she was done perusing my room. Suffice to say, I cursed quite fluently when I hit some things that were heavier and sharper than they looked. The barbs inside the Harlequin Crest were a main subject of my casual torment), then went back to work dressing myself. I tossed on a doubled-linen tunic and cinched all the drawstrings until it was partially snug against my torso.

I reached into my chest again and brought out my old pair of tipless riding gloves, from back when I had an interest in horses. Ogden had at one point a stable, before the Dark Riders became more and more prevalent, and had at one point a stubborn roan that didn't want to obey his master any longer. After the patron had left without his horse (on the offhand, the man was a tax collector.), I decided to volunteer to take care of the horse.

Equestrianism became a hobby of mine, and I was pretty good at it, too. I got all the gear required, using all my excess scratch to buy the best stuff that I could afford. Every night, I would brush and groom the filly, giving the best of care to the modestly aged horse. I entered some local competitions, won one or two prizes from a few of those I wasn't immediately barred from. It was a fun time for me, and seemed to last forever. Of course, it finally ended when the red filly, named Floret, finally died from old age. I buried her, but couldn't bear to part with the tools and gear that I had bought just for her.

So, the memorabilia from those days wound up at the bottom of my cloth chest, along with various bolts of valued and less valued bits and pieces of material. One of those pieces of equestrian gear was a good pair of boiled leather gloves with moleskin trimming (The storekeeper had said it was just a term for a soft manmade textile. I hoped so; I liked moles!). As with the rest of my hand equipment, I cut the tips off so they would fit on properly, what with my natural equipment…

I put these on, the feel just a familiar as it was eight seasons ago. I fished through the chest again and plucked out the tips that I made to go with my modified gloves. These were made out of heavy metal that I insisted was orichalcum, but Griswold argued was Devil's Tungsten (we haven't settled it yet… but I know I'm right.). I fastened the central part to the middle hand of either glove, then slipped on each of the ash-dusted tips, careful to get the right tip on each finger.

I examined the fit on each on each finger. It was a tad snug, but thankfully, I had done most of the growing in my torso and legs lo these two autumns, so my hands still fit to my satisfaction in my dated hardware. I flexed my hands a few times, and then got back to getting ready and packed.

I quickly located my knifer's vest, put that on, making sure to slip out the armpit guard and the wireproof collar, and fastened all the catches. The vest was a gift from Griswold and Pepin from my last birth anniversary. It was a gaw-awful expensive black market commodity, but certainly very useful to one who's lynched every hour of the day.

I dove under my bed and retrieved my "long-lost" overcoat. I slapped off the few dust bunnies and scratched off the few "mysterious stains" left on it, and then I looked it over, satisfied with how well the rough coat endured several seasons of neglect and abandonment. Well, now it wasn't abandoned any longer, and thank goodness the damn thing would actually fit me this time…

I lined up and fastened the zypher, careful not to catch the fingers of my gloves in the little brass teeth. I remember getting various things snagged on that little bizarre contraption, though some snags were more welcome than others (And thus cause for some of the now-removed stains)…

I clasped the top and bottom edges of the coat to their respective spurs, adjusted the fit of the sleeves a bit wider, and checked for errant threads (Thankfully, I found none).

I looked in the small mirror attached to my vanity and approved of what I saw, for the most part. I took off my overcoat, rolling it up neatly and placing it on my bed. I took another look and smile. Now for the bags.

I dug through my wardrobe for a few more pairs of socks and underwear, and stuff them in my nearly-unused travel bag. I took out two of my favorite linen shirts and three of my more disposable cotton ones and place those in the same bag. I took out some of my hardier and more functional breeches and braies and stuffed those in as flat as I could. I got some additional gloves of a few varieties, even some of my silken ones, in the bag, followed up by some random supplies like rope, twine, mismatched pocketknives, a couple of tinderboxes, some bits of wrapped tinder, small, patched rags, medicinal supplies like gauze and curative oils, and some small curios to suit my fancies (i.e.: A couple of odd figurines I'd carved during a festival: There was one that was supposed to be a rabbit but ended up being some kind of dog, and one effigy of a wild mouse that I'd captured the form of pretty well, surprisingly…). At the end of my packing, the travel bag was just short of straining at the seams to keep the various supplies in, and I'd yet to put in the foodstuffs and rations I'd need on the journey to wherever I was going; it was anywhere but here, to be sure…

I stole across the hallway, barely making a sound on the normally groaning floorboards. I jumped the stairs and landed with a scuff in the main part of the tavern. I skulked to the larder, took some small jars of honey, some rum, and some of the less dubious-looking hardtack. I was about to take away a modest portion of meat when I heard someone behind me. I whirled around to come to face Ogden in his nightcap, blearily glaring at me.

"Ya know, Agrius, it would be most kind if you'd give me a head's up when you're endeavouring to raid my pantry," Odgen said, sighing in exasperation "Could you explain to me in as few words as possible what you're going to do with enough food to satisfy a night's worth of hungry patrons?"

I stood up, meat in hand, stating "I'm going away. That's all…"

Ogden was moderately surprised. "Already? I'd thought that you'd lived through worse that this before."

"Nah," I rebutted, "I just hadn't wanted to run away further. This time, I'm going to run further."

I walked past Ogden, sparing him a brief glance.

"Agrius," Ogden called after me.

I turned to look at him again, stopping at the top of the stairs. Ogden was clearly distressed by this new turn of events.

"You've been a good worker here. I just wanted to know that I've appreciated your time serving here… as well as your company. I know most of my betters think lowly of you, but—that doesn't matter. You've been one of the fairest men I've ever known, bar nonne. If you ever feel you need to return, for whatever reason, my wife and me are here for you…"

I smiled in reply. I made my way down the hall to my room, packed-up the food supplies in the side pockets, zypher'd them all closed, and hefted my bag onto my shoulder. I was about to leave my room when I remembered my overcoat and went back for it, plucking it off of my bed and stowing it inside the top flap of the travel bag.

I trotted downstairs, gave Ogden a firm handshake as he was shambling off to bed, and stepped out into the night air.

I breathed in solemnly, and let it out in a gust of tiredness. This was going to be a hard step for me…

But, before I went, I decided to pay Megara a visit. It was apropos, I supposed. Whatever the case, I sojourned to her stately abode and rapped on the heavy oaken door. It opened to reveal the Lady Rowanshod, not someone I'd wanted to talk to.

"What is it, demon boy," She snarled prettily, "Here to destroy our livelihood even further?"

"I'm here to see Megara, madam."

"You shall not! Your demonic influence has done enough damage to her already. I've had to take care of her after you lewd assault, and I shall not have you ruin her."

I pinched my nasion firmly. "Could I at least talk to the young lady of the household?"

Megara steps from behind Lady Rowanshod. "Begone, demonspawn! I'll have none of you!"

Lady Rowanshod smiles impishly. "I don't think there's much to say, wouldn't you say?"

I sagged a little. This kind of knocked the wind out of my sails. I turned to leave, Lady Rowanshod probably still smirking at my back.

When I'm twenty or so paces away, the door began to creak closed. It's then that I got a bold idea, and I went with it immediately. I dropped my bag and sprinted back to the front door. As the door was about halfway shut, I leapt over Lady Rowanshod and tackled Megara to the floor, kissing her as soundly and as sincerely as I could. I even put magick behind it, just for emphasis.

In my supernatural senses, I felt something pass out of Megara, and I released my hold of her.

"I'll love you even if you hate me, Meg," I whispered, "remember this"

I got up quickly, and vaulted over the infuriated mistress of the Rowanshod abode, and ran to my pack. I heard a fierce incantation of a spell behind me, and turned in time to face a raging inferno cutting a swath toward me, issuing from the Madam's hands. I channeled mana through my entirety and swept away the magick fire. I returned the gesture by a quick Viz'Jerei spell, and sent a thick ball of fire right back at Megara's progenitor. The fireball caught her full in the chest, knocking her back.

I didn't put much into that spell, so all it really did was put the Madam on her ass and clew most of her clothes off. I had to say, she looked much better without them, and should show herself like that more often.

I chuckled, threw a mock salute at Megara, and raced down the road.

And now I'm here, weeks later with half my food gone and nearly no human contact for shit and an incredible bout of melancholic boredom.

Really, all I need is some meat right now. I look around and see nothing.

I hear a distant crunching of leaves and sprint toward it, easy overtaking and taking down whatever made the noise.

It was a wild black deer, which I gratefully slew with a twist of its neck and a stab through the heart with my claws, which were finally proving useful more and more every day.

I spend some time dressing the meat and cooking some it over the fire that I didn't immediately eat, including the organs, which I extruded the various humors and wastes from before I consumed them. Even the gall and the bone marrow go down my throat, and after the meal is fully finished, I scrape the hide clean with one of the deer's ribs, careful to not use my nails, which were a bit too unforgiving when it came to more cleanly tasks.

I roll up the deer skin and go on my way down the road, somewhat satisfied from the first real meal in a while.

As the woods start to thin out, I come to a wide river, which I drink from and then cross. When I get to the other side, I see a rather sizeable city, right beyond the treeline and exceptionally cleanly-looking.

I get closer, and look at what appears to be a sign indicating the name of the city. Aurobos, apparently.

Seeing as I just got across a sizeable river, I'd say this is a city of Ensteig. It's annoyingly sniffy enough to be a part of the region.

It'll be one of the border cities that I'd heard about; the forts that the paranoid mages had set up in the Sharval Wilds that had soon turned into fugitive harbors, then eventually towns, and soon after cities. It was with these cities that Ensteig rose to fame and power. Now, this region was known for its cultivation of the elitist ideal and the excellence of sophistry. And I'd hated even the idea of being there up until now.

But I have no home, and I must persist. Maybe there'll be some normal people up there…

Walk up to the heavy stone walls of the city and through the gates, taking in all I could. I have to admit: the province of Ensteig was certainly something to behold. It's new to me, so it's to be expected that it would have such an effect on me.

Still… nice place. As long as I don't bump into aristocrats, I'm totally fine…

I walk down the cobblestone street (which is a lot more even than Tristram's, I'll say…), I catch sight of a scuffle off to the side in a doorway.

A reasonably aged man comes out holding some 20-something young man by his collar up to his face, barking obscenities at him.

"I'm oughtta beat your sorry hide. Giving away my merchandise, slacking on orders, bringing in all sorts of sloppy tarts… this is the last straw, me bucko! You're out on yer ass!" With that, he throws the miscreant to the ground and kicks him once in the gut.

The youth picks himself up and runs away. As soon as he's out of sight, the aged shopkeeper(I think) sags and puts his hands on his knees for a second, tired as hell. I simply stare.

The grizzled, balding man notices me and straightens up. He puts on a plain face. "You. Lad. Lookin' for some work. It's decent pay and better work than most of the joints around here."

I raised an eyebrow.

The old man sighed "Look, it's not much, but if you're in need of employment, I'll take anybody I can get. I've got idiots and numbskulls comin' outta the woodwork, and I need some real work in my shop getting done and I'm willing to take foreigners without any travel papers rather than the local scum. Whadaya say, boy?"

I make as if I'm thinking it over.

"Come on, boy; I haven't all day. I'm wasting time waiting for you to make up your aft mind!"

I stop my posing. "Sure, why not?"

The old man grins. "Welcome to Galworth and Company's Grand Mural and Signpost Emporium. Come in and get a smock. I'm not gonna give ya the big stuff, but you're gonna prime up the fresh orders while I fill out the readier stuff. Come on, come on. What're ya wait'n' fer? An invitation? Get in here!"

And so my work at one of the oldest businesses in the Aurobon fiefdom begins

~X~

Yes, yes; I'm sorry, I'm late, I suck.

Whatever. At least I was able to give you guys this much. I promise I won't leave this out for more than a month again, I swear. Well, I'm not gonna make any more promises, because I've already proven capable of fucking up in those regards.

However, it is what it is and I'm happy I'm able to entertain you guys.

Let's get started, folks…

Or rather… let's REVIEW, folks…