Liv sees someone from her past

The group had broken off and gone their separate ways nearly instantly, which suited Liv well enough. She'd never been to Arañilla, but the way the people moved was familiar.

Nearby, a bulky man bumped into a smaller once and Liv watched idly as they got to arguing. Swords were drawn, and a few quick cuts later, only one of them was still able to walk away. She wasn't the only one watching either, old men and cripples hidden around the corners of alleys swathed in dirty fabric to fight off the wind, other rough characters who simply couldn't be bothered to slow down and look, and... the occasional outsider who really shouldn't be in this part of the world. Yes, in a way it really felt like home.

Some things were different here than in the capital of the Kingslands, however. There were fewer elves, for one, and more half-bloods of races Liv couldn't begin to guess. The man now dead in the streets might've been part orc if she guessed right--not a common sight in cities where the nobles could afford to bother trying to keep the bloodlines 'pure'.

She was already off the beaten paths and main streets the rest of the Bravos would doubtlessly stick to. They weren't like her for the most part, more comfortable in the light of civilization than down here in its mucks. But Liv knew there was only so much to learn from safety. Down here in the underbelly was where all the real knowledge lived. She didn't know this city, but she knew how cities worked. Liv was confident she could get a lead on the book if she could just find someone to snitch to her.

Before she could start making her way toward the seedy pawn shop that looked like it might be a good shot, Liv heard a familiar cough. She turned to find it source, well trained eyes locking on him in an instant.

"Vilbuck?" she wasn't quick enough to stop his name from spilling out of her mouth. As his watery eyes looked up to meet her's, Liv's shock only deepened. It really was him.

"It's been a while, Liv." the man's square face and heavy brow were impossible not to recognize, even with the layers of grime and scraggly beard he now wore. Even as he sat before a beggar's tin here in the back streets of Arañilla, absolutely nothing had changed about the sturdy grin that spread across the face of Vilbuck Lahnge.

To have called the man a gangster would have been generous, since back when Liv had known him, he had been little more than a thug who demanded 'payment' for the protection of him not attacking anyone poor enough to be caught in his path. From the way he sat and the long scar running along his chest toward his left arm, still buried under the man's heavy cloak, it looked like someone might have finally snapped and put him in his place. Something about his face seemed to sturdy up, instilling fresh confidence when he looked at Liv

"So, what brings a girl like you to this garbage dump?"

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This chapter was a collaboration with gamer.1171(https://chyoa.com/user/gamer.1171) please check out her other writing!