Towards the merchant quarter 2, electric boogaloo.

Back on the street with a clear goal in mind, I continue my journey towards the merchant’s quarter. I walk through the town, a spring in my step. “That… was fuckin awesome. I’ve been here, what? Half a day? And I’ve already slept with an extremely attractive lady with little or no strings attached? Have I died and gone to pervert’s heaven? Not that I’m complaining, mind you…”

My thoughts continue on in a similar vein as I wander in the general direction of The Alchemy Emporium, a smile plastered across my face. Every now and again I pat my pocket, making sure that I still have the letter of introduction that Lottie gave me. The streets are a little busier than they had been earlier, which has me idly wondering if Kybor’s Rest has something similar to a siesta where people stay inside during midday hours despite the temperature being comfortably warm rather than hot.

My musings are interrupted as I feel a light impact up against my side as someone small collides with me, running at a fair clip. “Hey!” I squawk, indignant, but the person doesn’t slow, bolting towards a nearby alley. They are much shorter than I am, wearing what appears to be a shabby brown hooded cloak. The speed they are traveling has the cloak trailing out behind them, giving me a peek at a hairless pink tail. Rat? Mouse? Then my eyes catch on what the runner has clutched in their small hand, a flash of white. A letter?

My hand immediately drops to my pocket. Sans one letter. “That little fucker.” When my mind catches up to events, I’m already hightailing it after the figure. I consider myself a physically fit person, but the little fucker is fast. They lead me on a merry chase through a maze of alleys and backstreets, and it’s all I can do to keep up. At one point, they slow to a stop and I gain on them considerably. I’m only a few metres away when they spin around as they notice my rapid approach, I see a pale face under the hood, eyes widening when they see that I have followed them. It’s only the briefest of glimpses, however, as in moments they are off again.

Despite everything I try, the thief knows these back ways better than I do and is lighter on their feet. With every twist and turn, the person is that much further ahead down the next alley. I’m flagging, lungs screaming for air as they duck around yet another corner. At the same time, I stumble, foot caught on some unseen obstacle as I go ass over teakettle, coming to a stop in a heap on the ground. Forcing myself to move through the pain, I scramble to my feet and limp towards the corner, fully expecting the thief to be gone, but needing to know for sure.

I’m shocked when, when I finally limp round the next corner, the new alley isn’t empty. I come to a painful halt, taking a moment to take in the unexpected scene before me. My thief is still there, but instead of hoofing it towards freedom, they are currently dangling off the ground held by the throat as their legs kick wildly. The man doing the holding is one of the bulkiest people I have ever seen.

At first glance they look human, with tanned skin, a shaved head and rippling muscle. The clothes the new man wears are in filthy, covered in mud and other, less identifiable stains. Alarm bells ring loudly in my head and I involuntarily step back, every part of me screaming that this man is bad news. The man reaches up, grubby hand pulling the thief’s hood back as he says in a low, oily voice, “So, wot do we have ere?” The hood falls away, and I get my first proper look at the thief. They have vaguely feminine features under a dirt smeared face, short brown hair and small rounded rodent ears. The grin that spreads across the man's features sends shivers of revulsion through me. Whatever he has in mind for the girl, it's not going to be good. Seeing her captor’s expression, the woman struggles harder, face visibly going red as the man restricts her air supply.

My mind races as I consider my options. The man has yet to notice me, and despite my irritation with the woman for running off with my letter, the thought of leaving her in the hands of this monster is one I don't even consider. My eyes flicker over the alley, looking for anything to aid me. My eyes settle on an empty wine bottle amongst the detritus of the alley floor. I know enough that if I use that without being careful, I’ll get a fistful of glass shards for my troubles (thank you, Commander Vimes). Scanning the alley again, I spot an oily rag. It's filthy, but hopefully if i wrap it around the neck of the bottle, it’ll protect my hand. Good enough, it’ll have to.

Plan in mind and resolve hardened, I take a step forward, determined to step in. I only get a single step before I feel a light touch on my arm. I look back in confusion, then down slightly. Staring back up at me is a full-blooded Kitsune. The new figure is wrapped in a similar cloak to the thief’s, only much better quality. I take in the new person, looking into their piercing blue eyes, my mind noticing the circles around the newcomer’s eyes where the fur shifts into skin.

Not a snout. A mask. The pieces fall into place and my mind helpfully supplies a name for this person. The alchemical rogue. The wanted criminal walks past me, hardly making a sound. As she brushes past me, I catch the glint of something metallic in her hand as I hear her whisper, “Let me handle this.”