Chapter Text
Essempi was a loud, noisy creature, filled to the brim with people from every walk of life and every corner of the earth until it became little more than an endless cascade of color and bodies pushing against each other. The noise of the city was a dull thrum of energy as Techno watched its grand form collate against the horizon that it had outgrew centuries ago, now stretching far into the sky above. In the far distance, the capital stood as a grand, horrific shadow that stood against the bright midday sun, blocking out the light for miles on end.
It was a menacing sight to those unaccustomed to it, but Techno could only feel boredom and distaste at the sight as he rode further along and joined the stream of travelers with a practiced ease. The road was well-trodden and eroded underneath the endless stream of people that marched against it, the dirt stripped bare of even the slightest hint of green until nothing but dirt wafted into the air. Techno breathed out a sigh as he straightened slightly upon his horse, his eyes drifting quickly through the pulsing crowd of people surrounding him. At least, on top of his horse as he was, he could savor the fact that the noise felt less crushing, as if he was simply threading his feet across the vastness of a sea.
The mental image did little to soothe his nerves, as truthfully, Techno would’ve much preferred to have avoided the city as a whole and hugged its borders until he emerged into the sands of the west.
Essempi was large enough that it took a full day on horseback to reach either edge of the vast city, so much so that the idea of circling its border was as ridiculous as it was exhausting. A single day to cut through the heart of the city compared to weeks of painstakingly circling the border.
The decision had been made for him, but the pit of discomfort still dug into his stomach.
It was a bitter fact, one that repeated like a mantra in his head as the full scale of the city began to take shape and the dirt was replaced with well-polished, gleaming roads. Techno continued forward, riding above the endless waves of people that pulsed and beated along in time with the very heartbeat of the city.
If Techno was being honest with himself, it was all just a bit overwhelming.
But he wasn’t honest with himself, so he simply swallowed down the discomfort and ignored the temptation to run back into the forest and stay there.
Somehow, the chaos of the city heightened even more as the grand entrance of the city stretched higher, and higher, above the people that it looked down upon from its polished arches. Arches made of pure quartz and, if legends were to be believed, tempered with a core of pure silver that ran through every stone and wall that separated the world outside from Essempi’s beating heart. Undoubtedly, the city certainly felt alive, and despite the beauty of the walls that surrounded the city, it shook with the effort of keeping itself intact with all of the countless lives swimming within it.
Techno wasn’t quite sure if he believed the legends, but that was a thought he kept to himself on only the darkest of nights when paranoia thrived underneath his skin until the break of dawn.
An upset nicker forced Techno from his thoughts as he ran a soothing hand through the clean, shimmering mane of his steed underneath him. A healthy sheen gleamed from its coat, a sight that Techno could not help but smile at as the horse began to calm once more. Techno can’t even blame it, he could only imagine how few people it saw while isolated and neglected in that pitiful excuse of a stable.
But now? Techno swore that it was only by his careful hand and the horses, thankfully, demure attitude, that saved him from having to deal with one or more people from being trampled. Still, he held the reins just that little bit tighter as the wave of people pushed him just that little bit farther past the city’s walls until Essempi finally stood before his eyes.
It’s loud.
The walls almost seemed to trap the noise until there’s nowhere for it to go except towards the sky above and throughout its countless streets, its heartbeat skipping to a fluttering, chaotic beat. Shades of every color stream through the streets as Techno continued forward at a slow trot, the orangish gleam of the approaching setting sun washing the city in a warm glow. Faint traces of the approaching night hid underneath the horizon, as if held away from the veil of the day, only to grow all the more ravenous with every passing hour.
The night was a beast in its own right, even amongst the living and within the safety of the city, there was an undeniable threat that lingered within darkened streets. A threat that Techno would have been more than willing to risk if each trot had not begun to become slower than the last. Guilt bit at Techno as he glanced down to his horse, staring at the first signs of fatigue that had begun to drape itself over it until Techno could only sigh a deeper, more defeated sigh.
Alright, two days then. He will survive, he will.
It was criminally easy to find yet another inn and to pay the extra fee to make sure no one looked too close at the shape hidden underneath his cloak or the scars that littered his hands. But even so, Techno slid just a handful more of gold coins forward just to make sure and by the keen edge of the older ladies' smile- he figured it worked.
“A single bed and a stall for your horse. Make sure to be back here before curfew, doors are locked and bolted once the moon rises.” The older lady bore no interest in any response as she swirled to the next customer, the gold coins jiggling a high tune as he once more disappeared into the inn’s crowd. It was a slight, but nonetheless welcomed relief to be just another face in the crowd, even as the familiar unease of being amongst so many began to eat at his nerves. The feeling followed him, like a second shadow, as he navigated his way through the crowd before once more retreating into the outdoors.
Life pulsed through the street as Techno looked up at the sky, the bright midday sun dimming into something warmer as it stretched ever closer to the horizon. Absently, Techno wrapped a hand around the pouch hidden at his hip, weighing and counting each golden coin he had left before a groan escaped him.
Buying supplies in a city was a special sort of torture.
The uncomfortable lightness of his bag thrown across his back did not seem to care.
It was no surprise to him that he found himself deep within the city's market only an hour and a handful of blinks later, nerves aflame despite his flat expression. The dull drone of voices around him reached a rapid tempo, thrumming in the air like pure energy as he allowed his eyes to drag over the decorated stalls of the market.
Lower tiers of magic filled most of the stalls; crystals, feathers, gilded gold, and enchanted copper, all the way up to the quiet murmur of magic filling the air around lapis. Magic felt different than the feeling of silver underneath scarred palms or the sensation of a potion scalding the throat as it was greedily drunk. It felt alive in all of the ways that a sword never would.
Techno pushed himself forward, his eyes pointedly pulled away from the stalls where the rich aroma of redstone dust and gunpowder seared the air.
As if he could afford the money for potion ingredients.
The stall that he was looking for was a small one, nearly crushed inbetween the colorful, almost garish cloth that streamed from building to building and all but blanketed the market in streams of tinted light. Nonetheless, the stall was an isolated one, where the thick scent of oil permeated the air until it clogged every sense and blotted out the world surrounding him.
“Hello there! To whom do I owe the pleasure of visiting my shop this day?” Techno straightened as the cunning grin of the sales keeper beamed up at him, utterly aloof and uncaring to how Techno straightened.
“Hullo, uh, would you have any oils for a blade? Something softer, like for gold.” The question was practiced, as was the careful neutrality on his face as the man’s knowing, sharp-edged smile turned downward. A muttered huff whispered underneath the man’s breath as Techno kept still, unwilling to even breathe and potentially tip the precarious, tense air. Tanned hands brushed over the clicking of glass, the muttering only continuing until a thin vial was placed before him.
“Twenty gold, my only offer. I don’t like to stock much for your crowd, and I doubt anyone else here will do the same.” Techno did not doubt the man’s words, not for a moment, even as an ugly sneer began to bloom on his face despite the jiggling of gold between them.
Twenty gold was a steep price, blatantly overpriced, but that was why he had learned to count his losses.
The click of coins rang in Techno’s ears as the man counted each one, the seconds painfully slow until another sneer sneaked out from his lips.
“Take it and go, don’t tell anyone you were here. I have a business to run after all, can’t have you scaring away good customers because they’re scared about getting cursed.” Something hollow rang in Techno’s chest as he took the vial and turned back into the crowd without another word, eyes downcast to the polished stone below him as he fled back into the noise of the crowd.
The sword was a heavy weight on his back, heavier than anything he had ever carried, and yet, he knew that the imprints of his own fingers perfectly fitted the hilt. The words were well-worn as well, as perfectly fitted to him as the feeling of death or the feeling of eyes piercing his back.
The sensation of eyes following his every move.
The air swirled around him as he spun, his eyes sharp and unflinching as he slowly raked his gaze over the ever-shifting, pulsating crowd.
There was no one.
The feeling of being watched dulled until Techno stood still, his lungs slowly expanding his chest as the breath he had held onto fell from his lips in a huff. His fingers began to itch around the open air in his palms, grasping at nothing but the urge for a blade in his hands as he walked and melted into the crowd. Techno exhaled an exhausted sigh, blurrily raising a hand to rub at the shadows underneath his eyes before letting it fall once more.
Perhaps he truly did need to sleep, especially if his mind had resorted to imagining the sensation of nothing prickling at his neck and running down his spine. Another meaningless face in the crowd, one of however many that filled the city, and yet, the feeling had all but washed over him as suddenly as it had disappeared.
Techno shrugged, the movement loose and exhausted as he pushed past the inn door and let the steady creak of the wood follow him to his cramped room. The final click of the door closing behind him echoed with a lock, leaving him alone with the faint orange glow of the darkening sunset and the thin, threadbare walls that only barely separated him from the city.
Techno found he couldn’t find it in himself to care much about the trampling feet underneath him or the chaotic noise that still filled the streets. Exhaustion was a dangerous, tricky thing, one that had become an old friend and a closer enemy as he stumbled onto the bed and let his bag fall off of his shoulders and onto the floor below. Scratchy covers held Techno’s head as he curled closer around himself, willing his mind to finally quieten as the ache of horseback, the exhaustion, and the static feeling of panic underneath his skin dulled.
Even with legends, monsters, and the approaching night, there would always be things such as small blessings, and Techno grabbed onto them for all that they were worth as his eyelids fluttered close.
-
Techno woke to the night thoroughly blanketing the city, lulling the inn and city below into a quiet sort of fitful rest that it desperately wished to fight against, but ultimately closed its eyes. Silence weaved through the air, quiet enough that he could hear his own quiet sigh leave his lips as he glanced out from the blankets to the window and into the pitch black night. The moon hung high in the sky, its pristine glow glittering brightly onto the empty streets.
It was the middle of the night, and he was awake.
Techno closed his eyes at the burn of exhaustion at his eyelids, stubbornly attempting to retreat back into unconsciousness with a final sigh.
A prickling sensation washed over his skin, like static, cold water, and eyes mixed together as his eyes snapped open and shot up from his bed before a single thought formed in his mind. The metallic hiss of silver filled the room as Techno swung his sword into his palms, adrenaline washing away the exhaustion as his gaze snapped to where the feeling of eyes pressed into him-
Confusion pierced through the fog of adrenaline as he stared into the eyes of a crow.
Beady eyes stared back at him from atop the outside windowsill, unblinking and still, before it pecked the glass. Once, twice, the pecking continued until Techno couldn’t help the incredulous thought that it seemed oddly insistent, impatient even. The sound filled the room as Techno crossed over the short distance, his sword now hung low at his hip as he stared in bewilderment at the lone crow. Slowly, he pushed open the window, only for his confusion to worsen as the crow hardly made a sound.
Black, beady eyes stared up at him, seemingly unbothered as it stood before him with hardly anything more than a single ruffle of feathers before once more falling silent.
“Can I… help you?” The crow stared up at him before it let out a single, loud squawk and noisily ruffled its feathers, utterly unperturbed by his presence. Techno huffed, the sound vaguely exasperated as he slowly began to pull the window shut once more.
A frown pulled down at the edge of Techno’s mouth as he lost himself in thought, just how paranoid was he that a simple bird had been enough to wake him? It was embarrassing, really-
The fluttering of wings was Techno’s only warning before the crow flew into the room, startling him with a muffled shout before it perched on top of his fallen bag. Beady eyes glanced back at him before it began to dig through the bag's contents, muffled squawks accompanying it as he stared incredulously.
“Huh, what, get away from there- there’s nothing even any food there for you to steal-” A headache threatened to pulse at his temples as the bag's contents clattered onto the floor, only for it to immediately delve back into the bag. Techno sighed as he approached the crow, only to groan properly as it shuffled out and attempted to fly with whatever it was it had found. The sight would have been a charming one any other part of the day, especially with it trying and failing to fly underneath the weight, but his exhaustion was quickly returning once more.
Yet another reason he now had to avoid Essempi.
Strange crows who liked to stare and rummage around unprotected bags.
“Good job, you have fulfilled your duties of being a crow by being annoying. Now, can you please leave-” A loud squawk left the crow as Techno pulled the object from its beak, only to fly onto the headboard and preen its feathers. Another groan escaped Techno as he glanced down at his hands, only to stop in confusion.
The book stared back at him.
“You’re not doing a great job at being a crow if this is what you’re trying to steal.” The crow was silent once more, still and motionless from where it stared at him from within the shadows that covered the room. The creeping feeling of being watched once more dragged itself over Techno’s skin as he met the crow’s gaze, a strange shiver bleeding down his spine a moment later. The crow almost seemed to melt into darkness, the shiny outline of its feathers becoming more and more muddied until only the reflective gleam of the moonlight shone from its beady eyes.
“...If I give you a coin, will you leave me alone?” The crows head quirked, which was enough for Techno as he slowly crouched and dug for the familiar pouch of gold. The jiggling of gold echoed a moment later as he approached the windowsill and placed down the golden coin, his gaze still locked onto the crow as he stepped away. A long minute passed before the crow emerged from the darkness and flew, clutching the coin into its talons before it escaped back into the night.
Techno felt the relieved sigh rattle through his entire body as he watched the crow flutter down and perch onto the top of the stable’s door, the golden gleam in its beak glittering all the while.
Perhaps the crow was a good thief after all, considering it had tricked him out of his own money.
…
The stable’s door was cracked open.
Techno felt his gaze focus on the door, the vestiges of exhaustion fleeing him once more as he stared down to where the heavy-set double doors sat open.
It should not have been open. Not during the night, at least.
The night was a dangerous thing, and open doors were nothing more than invitations .
The creak of the wooden floor squealed under him as he closed the window, only to gaze at his own exhausted, shadow-tinged eyes and the reflection of the door behind him. Restlessness thrummed in his blood, nauseating and sickeningly heavy in his stomach, as his gaze shifted onto the door and the grip around his sword tightened.
Techno knew that he would never sleep otherwise, not unless he saw for himself.
The door screeched lowly as he shuffled out into the dimly lit hall, the quiet flicker of candles following his way as he slowly descended into the empty tavern. The stale scent of alcohol clung to the air as he carefully navigated through the empty room and pushed open the entrance door, letting it fall close behind him in a hush.
The moonlight glittered in the silent air and through the empty streets, the silverish sheen of the nights glow only decorating the city that it blanketed. Deafening silence rung in Techno’s ears as he walked, each step quieter than the last until he finally stood before the stable doors, the darkness within only barely pierced by the moonlight. The darkness covered him as he stepped forward, the low groan of the stable doors opening further screeching into the night until it once more stilled.
It was the silence that first told Techno that something was horribly wrong.
Then there was the stillness in the air, as if every living thing had paralyzed their lungs and clung to the earth below them in some semblance of desperate prayer. The sort of prayer that dragged itself onto one’s lips when it’s forced to face the reality in which they are prey in this world that they inhabit. When forced to confront the reality that they are so, so very weak, they shut down, go silent, and plead to the earth below to hide them from the predators that lurk in the shadows.
But there is no hiding, Techno knew, not from this predator.
Pitch darkness filled every corner of the stable, the moonlight streaming from the mist-covered windows only barely splitting the blackness apart. The shadows clung to Techno’s heels as he stalked forward and slowly, carefully, brought up his sword before glancing at the motionless stalls on either side of him. Red eyes searched through the darkness, squinting through the impenetrable shadows before peering through a crack in one of the stalls, only to rear back at the scent of blood. The scent was one that he was more than well-acquainted with, so much so that he only tightened his grip around the sword's hilt before walking forward.
It doesn’t take long to notice the scent once more, and from there, how the scent grew so strong that he feared it would singe his flesh. Even still, the thought of turning back was an abhorrent one, even when the blackened pools of blood from beneath the stall doors glittered underneath the glow of the moon. One after the other, he passed them all, the pungent smell of blood now nauseating as the silence buzzed noisily in his ears.
Which made the deafening crack of bone ring ever louder through the piercing quiet.
Techno knew what the last breath of life sounded like.
No matter the person, animal, or creature, the last gasps of life all resembled each other. The drawling whisper of a hiss escaping a choked neck, undercut by the petrifying fear rattling past their frozen tongues until it was closer to a broken cry for mercy rather than any semblance of speech. Choked screams, whispered cries, the wheezing breath…
He knew the sound and knew it well.
The smell of death in the air slowed his steps until his gaze finally settled upon the scene only illuminated by the high arc of the moon’s glow.
Blood coated the ground, staining the aged wood beneath a sickening crimson hue as blood flowed from the long gashed torn into the horse’s torso. The matted white coat had long since been sullied by the sheer amount of gore and the color of its own guts spilling out from where it lay prone. The gore coalesced into an awful, sickening image of an agonized, drawn out death, made all the worse, made worse by the pair of clawed, vicious hands and the savage fangs that dug into the ruined flesh of the horse’s neck.
Fangs that were only obscured by a familiar mane.
A dull ache dragged itself to life as he gazed upon the corpse of the horse which had carried him only hours earlier, now nothing more than a drained husk of an animal attached to the teeth of a monster .
Elongated, sharpened fangs glittered menacingly in the moonlight as the jaws of the creature unlatched from the bloodied, torn mass of the horse's throat. Blood dripped in messy clumps, only further staining the torn clothes splattered with new and old blood alike as its wide, muddied gaze met Techno’s. Feral hunger lined its face as its teeth were even further drawn back in a menacing attempt of a snarl despite the sheer amount of blood that pooled from its mouth at the action. Techno’s gaze narrowed, betraying not an inch of fear as he slowly brought the blade to the palm of his hand.
He barely twitched at the spark of pain as his skin was split cleanly along the sword’s sharpened edge.
The shallow cut dribbled and bled forth over his palm as he continued to stare into the monster’s eyes, unblinking as droplets of his own blood splashed on the floor below. A low, animalistic growl split apart rigid silence as Techno watched at how its eyes widened even further, almost splitting apart its pallid, drawn-tight skin at the seams at the sight.
Monsters were familiar, vampires were familiar, and for all that they were predators- they were also predictable .
The thought bubbled into Techno’s mind as he swung himself to the side, narrowly dodging the mass of sharpened claws and fangs by mere breaths. A screech squealed by his ears as it threw itself into the shadows, prowling through the darkness with a muttered snarl as it circled him. His gaze stayed locked with the monster, hardly breathing as he tightened his bloodied palm and allowed more blood to dot the ground below him. The sword in his palm swung as he spinned towards the sudden vacuum of air, the silver blade shimmering menacingly before plunging down.
The howl of pain rung sharply in the enclosed space, the snarl from inbetween its fanged teeth only sharpening in volume as Techno's sword sunk into its side. A nauseating, sickening squelch of burnt flesh sung along with the shrill scream as the vampire's skin began to melt around the blade.
Globs of blackened, charred flesh bubbled off of its pale skin, slicking down onto the floor below as he wretched the blade from its side before mercilessly kicking it back into the shadows. The resulting heavy thud reverberated off the wall, the ensuing quiet only settling for a moment before another hiss pierced the air.
The blood on Techno’s palm dripped down the hilt as he glared into the shadows, unwilling to blink as he stared at the vague outline of the vampire’s unmoving chest. Time slowed, each second achingly passing at a sedated pace as red eyes bore into wide, milky irises, swallowed completely by hunger.
Techno pushed down the thought of searching for humanity in the creature’s hunched stance. It was a hopeless, arrogant thing to wish for, and one that he knew others had fallen to.
Instead, he stared into the shadows, and bit down on his lip.
The taste of his own blood filled his mouth and dripped down his chin.
The roar of pure bloodlust echoed off of the walls as it sprinted and lunged onto him, glittering fangs shining in the moonlight as the hinges of its jaw began to tear. Blackened blood dribbled down the corners of its mouth as it was stretched inhumanly wide, the thin, pale flesh splitting apart at the seams. The blood drooled from its mouth as it screeched, crimson-coated claws drawn back and up as if prepared to rip out his throat.
Techno watched, and plunged the sword upward.
The sickening crack of bone and ligaments echoed in Techno’s ears as the sword tore through the bottom of its jaw and emerged through the back of its head, spearing the silver blade completely through its skull. The crackling sizzle of flesh filled Techo’s eyes as he stared into the last flickering embers of life in the vampire's eyes, blown-wide in uncomprehending pain. Gore dripped down the exposed silver-white of the blade and the hand still wrapped around the bloodied hilt, bathing his arm in rotted sinew as he stared at the muddied fangs that hung only a handful of inches away from him.
The scent of death practically radiated from its torn, broken maw.
As if the earth itself had noticed that the predator had been killed, the sounds of the surrounding world began to filter into Techno’s mind once more. The muffled echo of the nighttime breeze, the sound of his own breaths, the rapid tempo of his own heartbeat.
And the deafening creak of the stable doors opening.
Where the moonlight had only barely illuminated him before, now it seemed to be nothing more but a glaring spotlight as the glow shone onto him. Blood glittered mockingly on every surface as the moonlight stretched over the prone carcass of the horse still bleeding onto the floor.
The bloodied scene that ended with a final thud as the vampire’s body slid off of his blade and fell onto the gore-strewn floor to the sound of horrified gasps as its applause.
Techno didn’t need to see the faces of the stable-keepers to recognize the complete dread and horror that lined each one of their expressions in various hues. So he didn’t, and instead stood and looked down at the pale corpse.
The night was young, and yet, he was so, so tired.
-
Crowds of people seemingly poured from every surrounding building, and those who did come to gawk, mutter between themselves, or attempt to wash away the pervasive scent of blood. The barest flicker of dawn teased at the horizon as Techno attempted to cover as much of himself as he could with his cloak, hoping to hide as much of the gore as he could. The scent of his own disgusting state told him with little words how hopeless of an attempt it was, but it was either that or walk exposed in the streets of Essempi.
Techno pulled his cloak tighter, the slight burn on his palm only slightly muffled from where it protested at the action underneath the layers of bandages wrapped around it. Without a fight, he felt his exhaustion double as he stood alone from the tense, muttering crowd that all but surrounded the entire stable. The slight bite of the breeze bit at the old blood still splattered on his face, coloring his skin an unnerving red hue that refused to disappear no matter he tried to scrub it away. Alas, the off brown-red tinge clung to his face and gave him that much more of a reason to stay to the shadows and avoid the eyes of the rapidly growing crowd.
Techno cringed as he placed his sword back into his scabbard, a defeated sigh already working its way past his lips as he pondered on how he was going to clean himself. The shadows held Techno closer as he hunched into himself, narrowly avoiding the squinted gazes of both horror and revulsion as yet more people spilled onto the street.
The weight of the gazes still clung to his shoulders despite the action as a sharp whispered mummer of muddled words spilled between the crowd. Techno fought the urge to retreat further into himself, instead returning to settling the air in his chest as he breathed a calming breath. The loss of adrenaline had left him cold, now leaving the cool dawn air to nip at him all the more savagely, but he pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside.
The last hours were both syrupy slow and painfully rushed in his mind.
The city of Essempi began to buzz in earnest underneath his feet as the first few rays of sunlight spilled over the tavern’s rooftop, bathing it in hues of orange and pink. The low chatter of the crowd began to grow in volume as more and more people flooded into the surrounding streets, the city alighting with life with the new morning. A long exhausted sigh left Techno as he all but fell back into the brick wall behind him, an undignified and frustrated snort escaping him as he picked at the blood still coating his nails.
Techno would forever blame his own racing thoughts and the fact that he was distracted from the fact that the old inn keeper was able to sneak up on him so easily.
“I would suggest leaving this place soon, the peace-keepers will be here any moment now and these people do not know when to keep their mouths shut. They’ll know that a hunter is here even before they catch sight of you.” Techno’s gaze snapped to her bemused, bitter smile, the edges of it weathered by age, but no less sharp. “You did me a great service by taking care of that pest.”
“Uh, yeah. You’re welcome. Sorry about all of the horses, though.” Surprise caused Techno to fumble over his words as hesitation rapidly switched to confusion at the old lady's words. An ugly snort escaped her, but a strangely warm smile joined it.
“Boy, you managed to take care of that monster, a feral one, and only came out with a couple of scratches. Consider yourself lucky, and stupid.” The old lady’s dark skin crinkled with a chuckle as her hand delved into one of her many pockets, barely pausing before pulling whatever it was out and tossing it to him. Stumbling, Techno caught it, his eyes locking down at the familiar golden jiggle as he shook the small bag.
“Your payment. The cost of your room and a handful of gold on top of that. No less for a job well done.” Techno weighed the gold bag in his hand, his surprise growing minutely that indeed, it felt heavy enough to give weight to her words.
“Oh, uh, no need for payment. It wasn’t even a job.”
Like he was the type to take jobs at all.
“Hm, it requires payment. If you had not killed it, then what would have happened? Likely it would have attacked and killed who knows how many before burning alive in the sun.” Shock stilled Techno as he watched her turn back towards the shadow of the inn. “I remember how hard that life was. I do not envy you, boy.” An odd wistfulness betrayed her as her words whispered into the air, dissipating as quickly as she had appeared as she became one with the crowd.
Techno stood, quiet and alone, as he pocketed the gold, the slight metallic jiggle ringing loudly in his mind as he gazed out into the crowd. The dawn shimmered over the rooftops as he brought up his hood and tightened his bag around his shoulder, letting his face be bathed in darkness as he slipped into the moving crowd.
There was a long way to go to reach the end of Essempi.