Full Axis
Oi! Stop, you brat! Someone, stop that thief!”
Kei laughed as he tore through the streets, his thin, black boots kicking up the loose desert sand in his wake. His heart pounded in his ears. Kei urged onward with a burst of adrenaline, his body pushing itself to the limits. He darted through the throngs of endless people, ignoring the cries of alarm and irritation as he bumped into them. The voices of merchants, customers, children, camels, mules, and stray dogs all melded together – everything creating deafening noise in his ears.
Kei turned and took refuge inside a shadowed alleyway. He stopped, crouching low into a squat. As he caught his breath, he ran a hand through his layered black hair; a pair of longer bangs fell back into place, framing his face. With his free hand, he dug inside his knapsack, his heart still thumping against his chest. His hand touched cloth and he pulled it out, wrapping the black cloak around his shoulders. Kei put the two loaves of bread into his knapsack and took a deep, calming breath. A gentle, warm breeze brushed his cheek, sliding through his hair and lightly lifting it from off his neck. He stood up and withdrew from the alleyway, easily blending with the crowd. Two frantic guards rushed through the cobblestone street.
Kei’s mouth tugged upward. “Now… just try and find me,” he whispered under his breath, confidence filling his smirk.
He nonchalantly mingled with the crowd, observing the market stalls as if he were a potential customer. This main road was one of the widest roads in the city of Allegetra; therefore, most lower class merchants and traders had set up stalls and shops along its edges. As Kei pretended to be interested in some glassware at one stall, he kept a careful eye on the flurry of activity he had caused moments ago.
Smells of all types either assaulted or tantalized the nose; pungent, savory, ambrosial, spicy, musty – the unique combinations overpowered the air. Ragged, dirty children raced by, often underfoot, with gleeful cries in their voices – barking dogs joining them at times. Clusters of women rambled on about the latest gossip, while others walked by with large baskets on their heads. Boisterous men laughed and worked side by side. Mules and camels brayed as their owners pulled them along. Ears were bombarded with the shouts of merchants and shop owners, who did everything in their attempts to entice passersby to stop, look, and buy at their stalls.
The shops sold a variety of things from common vegetables to foreign fruits, cheap trinkets to beautiful jewels, wooden bowls to pristine porcelain, everyday livestock to exotic beasts – anything wanted or needed could be had and most could be afforded to the lower and middle class. However, if one wanted something of superior quality and worth, one had to go higher within the city to the upper class marketplace.
Kei lifted a hand, shaking his head at the old woman who worked at the glassware stall. She picked up a bowl, pointing to it with dark wrinkled hands, and nodded excitedly. Undeterred by his declining hand, she gestured to him, as if this item were the rarest thing to behold – and, of course, as if it were his duty to buy it. Kei let a soft smile flow through his features, blinking twice over deep, dark blue eyes.
The old woman went crimson.
Kei turned away. Old women were too easy to dissuade. He glanced around, looking for the two guards who were searching for him. Upon finding them, Kei frowned, his eyebrows furrowing.
“What d’ya mean, I stoles this? Ge’off me, ya fool!” shouted a man, wrenching his arm out of a guard’s grasp. “I ain’t no thief! I bought this here bread with me own, hard earned runes.”
People stopped briefly, glaring at the two guards, before they went about their way. The guard grumbled some half-hearted apology and turned away with his companion. Barely a few seconds went by before one of the guards grabbed a woman by the arm, stopping her in the middle of her clique of friends.
The volume of angry voices shot up above the bustle of the crowd. Kei winced.
“How dare you accuse me of such a thing!”
“Have you no manners?”
“She’s been with us all morning.”
“What rude ingrates!”
“Your little thief is long gone by now. Bet he’s smarter than you lot.”
The gaggle of women laughed at the two guards. More people stared at the scene, some even joining in with the mocking. The guards flushed red and hurried their search away from the laughing crowd. Kei weaved through the people, carefully following after them. His head peered upward; most adult males in the crowd were taller, with the occasional tall female. A few feet away from their previous location, the two guards, breathing hard as sweat darkened their clothing, grabbed another unlikely thief and began the process all over again.
Kei rested his face into a hand and shook his head. Just what are they doing? he thought. He sighed in exasperation. These two had no idea how to do their job. Geez, who hired amateur guards? They would never find him at this rate. They were disorganized, indiscreet, and just plain stupid. These guards weren’t going to recognize a thief even if one stopped in front of them and danced a jig.
Well, maybe, but they certainly couldn’t catch him. They’re well fed guards, at least. Good for you. Now do the job you were paid to do.
Kei couldn’t tell whether or not they were desperate to find a culprit or if they were simply idiots. Finally, without reservations or brains, one of the guards grabbed a small, decrepit old woman and outright accused her of stealing the loaves of bread in her basket.
“Hah?” squawked the old woman. In her scratchy voice, she shouted, “Who d’ya think ya are? Have ya no respect for yer elders?”
The old woman smacked the nearest guard on the arm. He grunted, pulling away and swearing at her. She went after him like a rabid dog, slapping at whatever she could get her hand on.
“I’ll teach ya!” she squawked again, her tiny, shaky body full of life. “I’ll teach ya, ya nasty upstart, a thing or two ‘bout respectin’ a’old woman!”
Kei doubled over, clamping a hand over his mouth to avoid drawing attention to his laughing. The old woman was relentless and, quickly deciding her hand wasn’t good enough, she chose a new weapon – her rune pouch. Both guards were getting the good end of it. Her screeching voice had to have been heard throughout the entire city.
And with that, Kei was done.
With ease, he weaved through the crowd like a shadow at dusk until he reached a bakery stall. The front was shaded by a tent roof and there were a number of baskets out in front, each overflowing with different kinds of pastries and breads. An aromatic smell wafted through the air, enough to make anyone’s mouth water in anticipation of the flaky, buttery taste.
Kei knocked on the stall’s wooden edge. “Over thirty minutes, that was,” he said. “They wouldn’t have found me even if they searched for hours. Now don’t you see? Didn’t I tell you?”
The owner turned around. He was a middle aged man with a full, black beard blanketing his lower face. His dark tan face was rigid and filled with hardship, yet still held a soft nature to it. The owner gave a noise in the back of his throat.
“You actually came back, eh? For awhile there, I thought you’d run off with my merchandise, never to be seen again.” He looked Kei over; an eyebrow lifted. “Only a cloak?”
“Hey, I’m no thief. I told you that,” said Kei, his mouth lifting upward slyly. He shrugged. “Any real, first rate thief will use better disguises and it’s not like that thief is gonna stick around to watch his chasers. Your security is pathetic. Cloak or not, your guards would’ve never found me. I gave them plenty of time and it wasn’t like I’d left the area. Oh, but, no—” Kei shook his head, lifting his hands with dramatic flair. “—I don’t get guards with brains; no, I get a bunch of headless chickens. You should’ve seen the scenes they caused.” Kei scoffed incredulously, shaking his head again, and exclaimed, “They even accused an old woman!”
The owner’s eyebrows bolted upward in surprise; his lips twitched with suppressed amusement.
A wry smile lifted Kei’s face. “Though, I have to say,” he drawled, continuing. He leaned against the wooden frame of the stall, his eyebrows bouncing. “It was entertaining to watch her beat them up. She wasn’t a happy old lady, that’s for sure – and I don’t blame her. Honestly, I haven’t seen such incompetency in all my life.”
“I see your point, but—”
“Look,” said Kei, interrupting the man and pointing a hand at him. “What I’m offering you is some useful advice that’ll only save you money in the long run. Don’t you get a hit on your stall at least once a day?”
“Maybe a few times a week, yes, but I don’t see—”
“Some street urchin taking off with whatever he can carry adds up fast – real fast,” said Kei, overriding the owner. “I’m offering you a way to reduce such thefts or stop them all together.”
Kei shrugged with a languid lift of his shoulders. His dark blue eyes connected with the man’s nearly black ones. It was all about playing the right game with these people. Say the right words and act with confidence – those were the skills to wield against the common consumer.
And Kei knew how to handle each one effectively.
The shop owner let out a tired, exasperated sigh and raised his hands in defeat. “All right, all right. You’ve talked yourself in,” he said, shaking his head. He gave Kei a considering look as he lifted an eyebrow. “Just tell me how ya plan to do this, hm?”
Kei gave the owner a small grin, pride glowing in his chest. He had this one now, no doubt about it. He dug inside his knapsack, pulling out a small, metal device. He lifted it into the air and showed it to the owner. It was perfectly square and two inches in size all around. Kei placed it onto the wooden countertop.
“This device can read the heartbeats of your customers,” said Kei, tapping it with a finger. “Generally when a person does something risky, their heart rate goes up. This device can read it and if a suspicious person comes near your stall with the intent to steal, the device will ring an alarm.”
“This tiny box can do all that?” asked the owner skeptically, picking up the device.
“Indeed it does. Now, of course, it isn’t a cure all,” said Kei, gesturing with a hand. He tried to control his rising satisfaction; only one more push and he would have the sale. But it wouldn’t do to appear too smug. “You still need some capable guards to catch any possible thieves. Now, this is my security advice for your shop: fire the goofs you’ve got now and hire some smart guards, ones who can do the job. And, of course, buy my thief detector for only five silver runes.”
The owner looked over the metal box again, his dark eyes scrutinizing every detail of the device. Kei watched the man, allowing confidence to flow through his countenance.
“So, it’ll really ring an alarm if a potential thief comes by?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Five silver runes, huh…”
“A reasonable price. Oh, and just to let you know,” added Kei. “The loaves of bread I got with my demonstration of your lax security are also part of the deal. Consider it my consulting fee.”
The owner glanced over at him; his eyes narrowed, while Kei innocently smiled. The owner let out an annoyed huff, but he said nothing to counter it, before he looked back at the device.
“I also offer maintenance. If the device stops working for any reason, I’ll come by and inspect it for you. If it needs a repair, I’ll fix it.”
“And just how will ya know if it breaks?” asked the owner, setting the device back onto the countertop. He folded his arms afterward and eyed Kei suspiciously. “You could sell me this thing and run off, never to show up again.”
Kei gave an acknowledging nod.
“I totally understand your concern there, my good sir. But rest assured, I live in the area and I’m not going anywhere. If you need maintenance, then simply press the orange button on the side here. See?” Kei pointed to a small orange button, which was on one side of the device. “Orange will send me a signal that you’re in need of a repair job. Press the green button to set the alarm – oh, and when the alarm does go off, it’ll ring endlessly, so press it again to reset it.”
“Orange will signal you? How, exactly?”
Kei smiled, lifting his hands in an elaborate shrug. “This is my livelihood,” he said. “I make a legitimate living selling devices such as these. I have to make sure all my customers are happy or I’ll lose income. But you can’t honestly expect me to tell you my secrets, just as I don’t expect you to tell me your secrets on how you make your mouthwatering bread.”
The owner nodded in agreement. He looked Kei over for a minute, as if trying to assess Kei’s trustworthiness, before he picked up the little box again and examined it once more.
“So, you say five silver runes for this?”
“And the two loaves of bread,” said Kei, with a tilt of the head.
The owner put a hand to his thick beard, rubbing his chin with much deliberation. From the moment of meeting the shop owner, Kei had known the man wasn’t the type to spend money on frivolous things. That was why he had offered the test. But Kei had also figured the owner wasn’t the type to pass up a good deal when he saw one.
And Kei was right – as usual.
The owner held out his hand. “It’s a deal, then.” Kei smiled pleasantly and accepted the hand, shaking it. The owner lifted the box in his free hand and said, “Now is there anything I need to do to set this thing up?”
“No, sir,” said Kei. “Just push the green button and place it behind your counter. But you’ll need to hire some better guards before you can see real results.”
“Aye, well, I agree with ya there, lad,” said the owner, nodding, his mouth twitching with a smile. He pulled out five runes from behind the countertop. As the silver coins dropped into Kei’s hand, there were a few shouts from behind.
Kei glanced around in time to see a streak of blond hair. It bumped into a man, who fell to the ground onto his knees.
“Oi, watch where ya going!”
The blond haired boy stopped and whirled around, his young face falling apologetically. “I’m sorry!”
Kei raised an eyebrow at the strange appearance. Is the kid wearing… an eye patch? But it was the pale skin that made him stand out like a beacon of light in the dark skinned crowd. Not getting a dark tan was impossible for the working class due to the intensity of the sunlight and no greenery for shade.
The boy flicked his gaze behind the man, back through the crowd; his visible eye widen with fear. The boy whipped around and broke into a run, rushing through the crowd with inelegance. Further angry shouts could be heard.
“Wonder what that’s about,” said the shop owner. Kei looked back at him and shrugged. He closed his fingers over the runes in his palm and looked back at the scene in time to see the boy’s pursuers. Two men shoved a woman, knocking her basket of fruit to the dusty ground.
“Hey!” snapped the woman. One of the men glared at her; the other sneered. Her eyes widened slightly and she drew back, but returned with a hated glare of her own. She spat at their feet and bent down to pick up her things.
“Are those…” murmured the shop owner from behind.
Kei nodded, his eyes narrowing.
The two men had rugged facial hair, yet not quite full beards. They wore tight pants and thin boots; one of the men was shirtless. Chains, ropes, and other weapons hung from their hips. Each had a vast variety of frightening tattoos on their arms and necks, while the one had an elaborate, disturbing tattoo on his back. The two men conversed with each other in low tones as their heads whipped back and forth through the crowd.
They’re not just fishing. They’re actually going after that boy…
As the two men disappeared into the crowd, the shop owner growled. Kei turned back as the owner’s face crinkled in disgust. “Scum,” the owner spat. “Preying on our weak like that and in broad daylight, no less. They oughta be hung.”
Kei nodded. “Indeed.” He gave the owner a tilt of the head. “I thank you for your business, sir,” he said. “Good luck with your shop.”
The owner’s expression softened. “As with you, lad.” He paused for a moment, before he gave Kei a considering look. “A young one like yourself could be a target,” he said, glancing through the crowd. He looked back at Kei. “You best be careful and steer clear of those men, all right?”
Kei smiled.
“Of course.”
He gave the owner one final nod and put the money inside a pouch within his knapsack, before walking back into the crowd of people. Once he had distanced himself from the bread stall, Kei quickened his steps, his eyes alert for the two men or the strange boy.
Stone buildings shadowed the main street, each built from tan sandstone. Rectangular in shape, some reached two or three stories high. Rooftops were flat and a medley of different heights. On a few of them, a laundry line hung, drying numerous articles of clothing in the sunny breeze. Many darkened alleyways lay in between these houses, leading to other streets. As Kei walked by each alleyway, he peered into them, but found no one of importance.
A surge of anxiousness rose into the pit of his stomach.
Kei broke into a run, slipping through the crowd without drawing attention to himself. Had they gone down an alleyway to another street? They couldn’t have gone far; they hadn’t had enough time. Had they?
Kei clicked his tongue. If he didn’t find that kid before those men…
There.
He caught sight of the men up ahead, the one man’s stark tattoo a banner within the crowd. Kei followed after them, shadowing their steps, but keeping a safe distance. If they realized someone was following them, Kei would have a little trouble on his hands.
But he wasn’t worried now.
The men darted down an alleyway. Kei broke into a run, briefly hoping it wasn’t a trap. He’d rather risk it, though, since they were fishing for someone specific. Mmm, oh, but Nolst would kill him if he brought another one home… Nine plus Nolst equaled too crowded.
Oh, well.
Kei peered down the alleyway to see the two men enter the next street. He waited until they were out of sight, before going after them. The building’s shadow darkened his path. He stepped softly against the sand covered cobblestone ground. A stairway led to a number of doors, which housed unknown residents. Open windows were without glass; some had curtains on the inside; while, on the outside, others had been decorated with boxes of sparse greenery.
A light breeze swept over him. Another gust blew right after it, whipping over him so violently that Kei had to tug his cloak around himself. He coughed, his tongue sliding grains of sand on the roof of his mouth. He heard something from above, the sound of sandals walking against something hard. He glanced up, but he had to duck his head from the sand.
“Iyaaah!”
The wind died away and a light voice cried out above him; the sound of sandals slipped against stone. Kei barely had time to look up to see someone falling. That someone proceeded to land right on top of him. With a grunt of pain, Kei landed hard on his back; the dust from the dry, sandy street flumed upward. He coughed as a flare of pain raced through his body, groaning from the weight on his chest and stomach. A voice moaned before coughing a few times as well.
“Oh, no, I’m so sorry! I lost my footing,” said the voice with a light, husky tone.
As the dust settled, Kei smiled.
Ah, found him.