Story 6: The officer and the thief

"You're getting warmer, Cora," Erin's singsong voice echoed through the night air as she dashed across the rooftops of Aldenheim's wealthy quarter. She could see Cora, the half-orc guard officer, panting heavily below as she strained to keep up, her eyes scanning the rooftops from the street level with a mix of visible irritation and admiration. Her hand tightly gripped the hilt of her sword, her leather armor creaking with every step. The half-orc had an admirable physique, tall, fit and muscular, her raven hair trailing behind her in the wind as she sprinted along the cobblestones, but it was hard to keep up with Erin as she lept from roof to roof.

With a feline grace, Erin dropped down from the rooftop, landing in a crouch atop the high stone wall of an opulent walled garden. The elvish thief listened intently as the thud of heavy boots grew closer, her heart racing with a thrill that was part excitement, part anticipation. Every hunter savored the prospect of the catch, and she was eager to ensnare the lumbering green brute who was on her tail - it wouldn’t be the first time… or the second, or third…

Cora’s frustration grew with each beat of her heart as she sprinted down the alleyway, her eyes searching the rooftops for any sign of the elusive rogue. Her blood boiled. Erin had gone to ground again, and she was not going to let her slip away so easily. Then she caught sight of her, the lithe figure crouched above the garden gate, her short straw-colored hair visible in the moonlight for just a moment before slipping into the shadows like a liquid. With a roar, the half-orc drew her sword and charged, kicking open the door and sprinting into the garden, her eyes scanning the darkness for the flicker of movement that would give her quarry away.

She’d honed her skills with each near-miss with the slippery elf. However the memories of past encounters taunted her, each more humiliating than the last. She recalled Erin's smug grin the other week as she slipped the bonds from her wrists and disappeared into the night, Cora’s own face stained with a creeping red blush, the snickers of her fellow guards once they found her tied half-naked to the bars of the jail cell with her own manacles. And that encounter had not been the first time… or the second > sigh < or even the tenth…