Old Death's Loot House
The City of Lugnica
The search for Emilia's insignia was long, but incredibly enlightening at the same time. Ulric learned much about the city, the kingdom of Lugnica, the animal people known as demi-humans, and the existence of magic within this strange world. He also learned, much to his displeasure, that while he could understand and communicate with everyone in this world, he could not read a single letter of the native language.
The search was lengthened even further when they encountered a lost child. Emilia insisted on helping the girl, while Ulric simply stood by his current oath to be her sword. To be honest, it truly didn't matter how long the search took to him. Having any ally at all at this point was good and who was he to turn down a child that needed help. 'I'm really not all that good with kids though,' Ulric thought as they walked along with the little girl, 'But it seems that knights are well-respected in this kingdom, so no one should trouble us while we search.'
Eventually they found the little girl's mother, as well as her father who owned a fruit stand with apples. The man insisted they were called appas, but Ulric didn't really see the difference. This good deed, though, turned out to be the lucky break they'd been looking for as the man was able to tell them the name of the girl who matched the description of the thief, Felt, and better yet where she could be found. "I suppose it figures we'd find a thief in the slums," Ulric said as they made their way to the poorer part of the city.
"You don't seem all that surprised by the state of this place," Observed Emilia as they crossed into an area full of dilapidated buildings.
"I've seen many places like this," Said Ulric as they spied a number of people in ragged clothing watching them, "And many more that were reduced to even worse states than here. Sad as this place may appear, at least it has some semblance of life still remaining, for whatever that's worth."
"You sound like someone who's been through a war," Said Puck as he perched on Emilia's shoulder.
"For a few years, war was my life," Said Ulric, "Like so many I rushed to the front in hopes of doing my family, the church and my kingdom proud. But the fighting raged on and on, and with each battle more and more of my comrades fell as we fought against an ever shrinking hope of victory. My moments of peace and reprieve were between battles and whatever moments I could steal away. Then one day, fate decided to send me here." This made Emilia pause for a moment as she took in his words.
"You're in a precarious position," Said Emilia, "In a foreign land far from home, with no family or allies to aid you, and I'm certain the currency you have is no good here. Fate may have brought you out of war, but it seems that was its only kindness."
"I wouldn't say I have no allies," Said Ulric, "I'm working with the two of you right now."
"Yes, but that's merely a temporary circumstance," Said Emilia, "If I didn't need help looking for my insignia, it's likely I would've just passed you by after our encounter in the alley."
"If that's the way you truly feel about it," Ulric said, "Then simply point me in the direction of someone willing to employ a knight after this is over." Puck simply shook his head at that statement, seemingly a little disappointed.
"You can be so insincere sometimes Emilia," Said Puck, "And as much as I'd like to say more about it, I'm afraid I don't have that kind of time."
"Are you running late for something cat spirit," Questioned Ulric, "I had no idea spirits kept their own schedules."
"Something like that," Replied Puck, "Taking a physical form requires a lot of mana, meaning I have a limited time that I can be out of my crystal. So, in order to recharge a bit I return to it at night and wait for the sun to come back up. On average, I can stay physical from nine to five or eight hours."
"You make it sound like the end of a work shift," Said Ulric, "But then again, you are under contract, so I suppose it makes sense to think about it that way."
"And right now my contract says my time is up," said Puck with a yawn as the little spirit began to fade from existence.
"It'll be alright," Said Emilia, "We should be able to handle things from here on out. So get some rest for the time being."
"Just remember," Said Puck, "Use the Udo to summon me if things get especially hairy. But mostly, try not to be reckless." Emilia nodded in understanding as she held out the green jewel she'd been wearing on her dress. Puck quickly crawled to her hands as his form was becoming practically transparent. Before he went, he turned to Ulric. "I'm leaving the rest to you sir knight, try to take care of her."
"On my honor," Said Ulric with a slight bow, "I'll let myself become a bloodied corpse before any harm comes to her." Puck nodded, clearly happy with his declaration as he broke apart into numerous, small glowing orbs. They hung in the air for a moment like a group of fireflies before quickly flying into the jewel Emilia was holding.
"Truly amazing," Said Ulric, "The magic of this realm is so different from what I was taught growing up."
"You'll have to tell me more about it sometime," Said Emilia as they began walking again, "What you describe about your home sounds like no other land I've ever heard of."
"If the chance presents itself, I will," Said Ulric, "But first we still have to solve our current problem. Though I doubt the occupants of this area will be of any help to us. A kind of kinship forms among groups like these and they tend not to rat out their fellow thieves."
"Then I can ask the lesser spirits for some direction," Said Emilia as she stopped in the middle of a small bridge they were crossing.
"There are lesser spirits too," Questioned Ulric with a raised eyebrow, "I thought they were all like Puck to some degree or another?"
"Lesser spirits are on their way to becoming spirits like Puck," Explained Emilia as she held her hands out in front of her. "They must first gain strength and awareness and only then will they become full spirits." The half-elf girl then closed her eyes as she mouthed a few words, too quietly for Ulric to hear. In the next instant, she began to glow blue as a number of small, blue lights seemed to dance around her. It was a fascinating sight for someone like Ulric who'd never seen spirits, so-called, behave in such a way.
After another moment, the lights faded as Emilia opened her eyes. "They said someone matching Felt's description went this way," she said as they proceeded further into the slums. As they walked, there were signs of fewer and fewer people living in run down or basically destroyed buildings.
"So what's our plan for when we find Felt," Asked Ulric, "I've little problem ending the life of a thief."
"No need to be so quick to resort to violence," Said Emilia, "We just need to take the insignia from her and that'll be that."
"Can we simply buy it back from her?" Questioned Ulric, "I imagine she stole it from you in the first place because you wear somewhat more elegant clothing than most around this area. That sort of thing usually means you have some money on you."
"I'm afraid that's out of the question," Said Emilia, "I don't typically carry a lot of money with me and I used what little I had earlier."
"I guess that means we'll have to try a different negotiating tactic," Said Ulric, "I'll let you do the talking, but the moment something looks bad I'm stepping in."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Said Emilia as they stopped at a larger, better kept house. "This is the place, the lesser spirits said it's the loot house of old man Rom."
"Well let's if someone's home," Said Ulric as he went up to the door and knocked on it a few times. When no one answered he knocked a couple more times, but was again met with only silence. It was then he decided to try the door, discovering that it was unlocked.
"Would you call that unusual?" Questioned Emilia as she put her hand to her chin in thought.
"If we're lucky, it's just vacant right now," Replied Ulric as he gripped his sword. "Wait here, I'm going in for a look. I'll signal you if everything's safe."
"And if it turns out not to be safe?" Questioned Emilia, with a mild bit of concern in her voice.
"Well the sounds of a violent struggle will be the signal to get away," Answered the knight as he drew his sword and opened the door. The inside was dark, with the only light coming from the moon entering through the window and the cracks in the roof. Ulric made his way slowly inside, glancing about the area as he did so. The building appeared to be some kind of shop with a bar in the corner and a table with a couple of benches next to it. Numerous pieces were scattered about the inside ranging from plates and silverware to jewelry boxes to even a couple of weapons and armor, all of which were probably stolen.
What made Ulric far more cautious, however, was the state of the room. It looked almost as if some kind of fight had broken out. Moving further in, he caught an all too familiar smell, that of blood. Making his way to the source of the smell, Ulric was able to make out a prone form on the floor and, as his eyes adjusted, a puddle of blood. 'His neck's been slashed and this blood isn't dried,' he realized, 'Which means the killer still might be.'
Whirling around, Ulric was about to call out a warning when a glint and the sound of a blade cutting through the air came at him. The knight was barely able to deflect it in time as the force caused him to nearly stumble over. "You saw my little mess," said a female voice that Ulric couldn't locate in the darkness, "Guess I have no choice." Several more slashes came out of the darkness, forcing Ulric back until one finally came through and slashed his arm, causing him to drop his sword.
The knight moved to the side just as another slash nearly got him in the gut. 'That was too close,' thought Ulric as he reached behind his back, positioning himself in a way were his arm wouldn't be seen easily. 'I might have one chance the next time she charges at-AAAACK!' The knight coughed up some blood as he clutched his chest, before pulling his left hand away to see it covered in blood. 'She cut straight through the chainmail and deep into my stomach.'
Then, to make the situation even worse, the sound of the door opening drew his attention. "What's going on Ulric?" Questioned Emilia as she walked in, unaware of the danger. Ulric attempted to yell out a warning to the white-haired girl, hoping that at the very least he could save her life. But the words never came as the sound of a swinging blade towards his head was the last thing he heard. The next thing he knew, he was somewhere else entirely.
Death confronts Ulric yet again as he struggles to protect his new ally. Who is this woman and why is she at the loot house? Hello everyone and welcome to the start of a new month. As always I'd like to express my appreciation for all my readers, commentors and reviewers and I encourage you all to keep it up because good critique can only make this story better. Be sure to stop in next time as Ulric must navigate around some rather strange circumstances in order to rescue Emilia. 'Til next time.