The only humans in a world of Magic

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omething dusty something decaying. Something crying, something aching. The city is dying, the city is bleeding. The elven kingdom blocks the moon, the elves block her blessing.

The city of the Minor Elves. A centre of trade between two halves of the aether, where all types of goods travel to and fro. The Minor Elves rules the city, with the monarch's kingdom located right on top of a hill to guard all the land. And at the furthest edges of the city was the slums.

For it's also the great city of the black market. Weapon sales, dark magics and the ugliest of items were in abundance here. Smugglers and pirates frequently sneak their goods to trade here while the local mafias choke the local inhabitants.







SCENE 1: Night thieving

Four human orphans were in a place they don't belong. A mafia's den. Where all sorts of shady people were lured. Everyone there seemed to be sick in a way, thinking and pale with an odd numbness. Quite a few of them were smoking something, so that could be the thing making them sick looking. But it's best to not confuse sick looking with actual illness. Their people were quick on their feet and very strong. Some of them were carrying barrels and barrels. That outside paleness was deceptive.

"Hey Noah, mind if I get a smoke?" Violet asked. Jokingly, of course, but with a straight expression to make it seem genuine enough. Normally having a smoke was expensive, but the people were given free samples if they did a good job.

The four orphans were making their way to the mafia's office. They had a simple job of thieving to do, but there were some details they needed to get from the man himself. He was in the door just ahead of them. Where two tall goblins stood guard. Both of them were smoking and had large clubs beside them.
 
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"Absolutely not," Noah answered Violet sternly.

He grabbed Marth's hand, pulling him close to him, and away from the bony fingers of a sickly looking man. His eyes, deeply sunken into its sockets, moved back and front, the grin on his face, nauseated Noah. He really didn't like being here. Hated bringing Marth. But he couldn't leave him alone or send the others by themselves.

He kept an eye out for the others as he crossed the den, taking big, confident steps, pulling Marth with him. At the door he stopped, looked at the right goblin and said, "We are here to speak to your boss." He held his chin up and spoke with a confidence he didn't feel on the inside. A performance he had perfected in his years at the orphanage.
 
Marth lugged along in Noah's grasp, rather unfazed and in acceptance of the rather normal practice. He was so absorbed in the peculiarities of the black market city, eager to lay his eyes on anything and anyone. Others would have found the creepy aesthetic of the city suspicious all the while Marth stood mouth wide open in an untamed grin, irises dilated to a disproportionate shape.

He followed along, engulfted in giddy excitement in sight of the den and the goblins taking the post. He marveled at their height, not paying mind to a word spoken around him.
 
Axise took in her surroundings, making sure to memorize every little thing about the place the group was in. The air was stale and musty, reeking of mold. It took everything in them to not empty the contents of her stomach onto the floor. They absolutely despised being here, hated every waking second she had to spend here. And from the looks of it, the rest of the group didn't fare much better.

When Noah strode forward, Axise followed behind feigning confidence. In truth, she was absolutely terrified, and rightly so. However, they knew that they couldn't show weakness. She held her head up high, puffed out her chest, and walked with purpose and confidence. Something Noah had taught them a while back.

She stopped just behind Noah and stared at the goblins with eyes of ice. All she wanted to do was run, but they knew they shouldn't. No, couldn't. Instead, they planted their feet and stood their ground, staring straight ahead at the door.
 
The goblin looked right at the humans, giving the typical frown at first. But then he broke a smile, showing his jagged, teeth. The man needed to visit the dentist. Especially for that almost rotting aroma that escaped his lips the moment he slightly opened his mouth. "Hold on a moment," the goblin said to the team. He turned around a little to grabbed the lock's handle. It looked really heavy, but he managed to just pull enough to get the door swinging wide open. "There, you're just in time. Remember, be respectful. And don't mess up the job."

Violet gulped and nodded. Normally she liked jumping head-on. But this time she made sure to remain right behind Noah and standing right beside Marth. "Okay, after you."

But luckily, the room wasn't as bad as outside, in fact, it smelled relatively good. There was a fresh, brown carpet on the floor. With some plants scattered around the end of the walls. All kinds of paintings and nicknacks were placed on the wall. And up ahead was the office. Once everyone had taken enough footsteps in, the door behind them closed shot. So there's no turning back now.

"Hmm, so what we got here. A couple of slightly mutated elves. Slightly taller than the average elf, that's for sure, certainly hairier. Must be the chemicals in the water," the boss casually commented. He was an elf, well a dark elf with charcoal skin and long silky hair. A middle-aged man in neat robes.

"Well don't just stand there, show some respect and introduce yourselves," another elf said. This one looked like an accomplice or servant of some sort. Not as finely dressed but still much cleaner than 99% of everyone outside. Slightly taller, with a nice charcoal tone too.
 
Axise stepped into the room with the others, taking note of who was present. It took everything in her to keep from shaking like a leaf. Her legs felt like they would give out any second, but she kept still. She had to. In this world, you can't show weakness. Instead of showing fear, they took a deep breath and stepped forward past everyone else.

"I am Axise. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir," She stated confidently, holding her hand out for a handshake and hoping there wasn't a quiver in her voice that would give her away. They made sure to keep their body mostly relaxed, but they were nervous, and they get tense when they're nervous.
 
Noah nodded shortly. Simpler said than done. Don’t mess up. If only it was that easy. After he entered the room, pulling Marth after him, he looked behind to ensure Violet and Axise entered the room safely. Or as far as they could be safe here.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Noah pulled Marth closer towards him. Then he pushed Marth behind him as he positioned himself in front of the boss. His feet slightly apart planted steadily on the floor, his head slightly down in a sign of submission. Sometimes you have to be a rock, sometimes water.

He shot a warning look to Violet. The boss, wouldn’t think anything of it, but for Violet it must be very clear. Don’t tell them we are not elves. It is better not to stand out. Better they don’t go asking questions.

“I am Noah, It is a pleasure meeting you.” Noah bowed, shortly. Introducing himself first.

After him Axise followed. She seemed fearless. Yet he heard the slight shiver in her voice, saw the effort it took to keep her hand still. He lay his hand on her shoulder, sending a wordless message he hoped was clear. It be alright.
 
Marth only ever slowed his step when in deep ponder of the world around him. He wanted to witness every little detail possible. And the office was a sight to behold in his eyes. All of the little shiny objects he saw, some familiar some foreign. He wanted to go examine all of the little doodads but realized that they were indeed working and that they needed to make a good impression. He would have to examine them later.

He realized the group had halted as he was swiftly positioned behind Noah. Marth awoke from his bubble in slight confusion to be met with the dark elves. Their facial expressions indicated that they had just asked a question of some sort. He looked to Noah for a response and understood that an introduction was in order. Axise followed Noah, prompting Marth to continue with the formalities.
"Hello!", he smiled with a short static wave, his tone a sweet jingle. "Nice to meet you, I'm Marth!"
 
"Listen close, children like you shouldn't quite get involved in this kind of business. But you're the type of person I need, so let's make a simple business agreement. The city guards and enforcers got some detailed information of most who work in my little business. And unfortunately, that means my employees can not move freely in the city. Enforcers and guards are keeping an eye out." The man explained. And then he raised a cup to drink something. Yet to his shock, the glass was empty.

He grumbled and glared at his assistant, who was just bringing another bottle of wine to pour him.

"As I was saying. You children haven't annoyed the city to put it lightly. So you four can just walk right in, and maybe get questioned at worse. So the job's simple. Rumour has it that a scientist has been illegally working on a more efficient way to make blue-salt. The type of stuff I sell at this fine establishment. Get me anything he has that might help, whatever magical or science junk, bring it to me. Don't worry if what you bring doesn't seem important, that's for ME to decide. And don't try to keep any for yourself, that would be unethical." he spoke.
 
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Axise felt Noah's hand on her shoulder and relaxed a little. She knew they were all with her. They glanced around the room again, seeing if there was anything they possibly missed. Nothing she could see, so she turned her attention back to the boss.

When he spoke, Axise flinched. It was barely noticeable to the untrained eye, but anyone who knew could see their muscles twitch. Dread overcame her, its heavy weight settling on her shoulders as they listened to the assignment. She isn't scared easily, but this man, he terrified her. But at the same time excitement followed, setting butterflies in her stomach. This was going to be a fun ride. Once he finished his debriefing she nodded and shoved her hands in her pockets, looking at Noah.
 
Noah listened, intently with one hand on Axise shoulder and the other in Marth’s hand. He thought over each word, careful. A robbery. This wasn’t the first time he had stolen. They had bread or apples from the market when food supplies at the orphanage had run low, and he knew Axise and Violet had stolen books and tools as well. He had caught Violet liking the thrill of the action. Something that had saddened him, they deserved so much better. But stealing sometimes was the only way to get what they needed.

However, this was the first time they went on a mission for someone else, and as Noah listened to the words of the goblin he realized a huge difference. Now they no longer had one person they could piss off, but two. Two groups of people really, and he wasn’t sure which group terrified him more.

When the goblin described the mission, Noah glanced at Violet, to find out if she knew what to do. From the four of them, she was the most likely to know what counted as sciency stuff.

Then he replied at the Goblin. “Of course not, I wouldn’t dear take something that belongs to you,” He didn’t like the mission. For all he knew the scientist would have his house filled to the brim with sciency stuff, and there be no way for them to bring everything. Although, the Goblin didn’t look like he would accept no. So Aymar continued, “What would the reward be. I have my siblings to feed.” He gestured at the others. “I am sure you understand, we can’t do this for free.”
 
Marth kept breaking in and out of the conversation. He wasn't allowed to touch anything in the room, but no one said he couldn't look. He took the opportunity to investigate with his eyes. His eyes eventually traveled to the elves and goblins. He didn't usually see goblins, they were supposed to be quite frightening. Marth found their facial complexion peculiar but in a positive way. Positive in a way where he imagined they were quite strong. He secretly wished they had cooler weapons, however, instead of clubs. Elves usually had bows right? He asked himself. Maybe that was just a stereotype. His mind was wandering again.

He admired the elf's charcoal tones, silky hair, and pristine clothing. If they looked this regal, he couldn't imagine what the people from outside the slums looked like. He'd get himself a nice jacket one day, maybe a nice necklace, with a big red ruby. He grinned in satisfaction of the image in his head.

"...magical or science junk," mentioned the one in charge. Marth's ears pricked up again. Are we stealing something? He thought. Does that mean we can go to the city? He yearned to ask Noah. If they were, he definitely wanted to find himself a nice trinket.
 
"Don't worry about the pay, my rates are very reasonable. By default, if you come back alive each one of you would get two silver coins for your efforts. That should be just enough to feed your siblings for three days. Any bonus payment would be based on what you bring, if you just get junk then each one of you gets a bronze coin. Bring something decent or useful and each one of you gets three silver coins. Bring something amazing and I'll just give you a small pouch of gold coins. Real gold coins."

The talks were boring at first. But Violet's eyes lit up when it came to payment. Two silver coins each was just enough for a decent meal for everyone. But the pouch of gold was what made her excited. Gold coins were perfect. Just one gold coin can feed them for two weeks. A bag of gold coins would be like a miracle. That's food for 5 months, or food for 3 months and two months' rent at a shady apartment. "Let us see the gold first." Violet randomly spoke out.

And so the boss looked at her. Surprised, a little confused and then sort of disappointed. "You don't trust I have gold coins? Oh! Ha, ha, ha! You just want to make sure the deal's secure. I like that. Okay. Bring me something good and you got TWO pouches of gold coins. These right here."

So the servant grabbed a gold pouch from a chest, dropping it on the table. The pouches themselves weren't very big. The kids could just shove one of them in their pockets. But the value of gold was worth it despite the small amount.

"We got a deal?' The elf stood up from his seat. This guy was much taller than he looked sitting down. He walked right up to everyone. The boss handed Noah the map of where they were supposed to go, along with some details. And then he turned to Marth. handing him a small badge. The bad itself was made out of a cheap alloy and engraved with a touch symbol. Now they were officially working for the mob. Anyone seeing that badge would know that for sure.

"Wear the badge big guy, it would keep rivals away when they see who you work for now. You can even get free chips with it, don't abuse it though."

Finally, the boss turned to Axise, "You look like the smartest one here. Try to make sure the others don't try to act too smart." he tapped her shoulder. "I'll hold you primarily responsible."

He had a feeling that Axise was the youngest, or at least the most afraid. So he just made an implicit threat to everyone else to NOT mess up. Else Axise gets the brunt.
 
Marths eyes widened at the sight of the gold. He had never fathomed owning or even hearing the sweet jingle of the metal right in front of him. And there it was. He bet he could have fit around 2 in each pocket if he tried hard enough.

Marth didn't care much for money, but since the group seemed motivated to acquire it, he wanted to share their motivation. He didn't fully grasp the value of gold coins, but he figured anything so shiny must have been special. When the job was done he'd make sure to hold and shake the bag next to his ear, just so he could hear the jingle himself.

Marth gazed curiously at the map given to Noah and then followed his eyes over to the elf. The boss was looking at him, arched eyebrows, with an item hidden in his grasp. He handed a circular alloyed object to Marth. He eager with curiosity accepted the item, handling it with care. He investigated the badge, adorned with the mafias symbol. Marth could almost not hold his excitement when the boss told him to wear it, saying it would keep rivals away. Marth remembered Noah and how he had learned how to act in these situations. Marth graciously stuck the badge onto his tunic, making sure to stand tall but not show too much excitement over being perceived as naive or weak to the boss.

"Yes sir", he stated proudly.
 
Two silver coins, each. 8 silver coins, enough for a meal. Food for three days if they were careful, one if they wanted proper food. Not much for the risk they were taking. If they got it, Noah thought as the boss named a lower price, already breaking the promise of two silver coins by default. Noah couldn’t help, but smile when the man mentioned the golden coins. A pouch of golden coins. That would mean a way of the street. Hope on a better future if they were smart about it.

“Violet,” he whispered under his breath as the girl spoke out. One day her sharp tongue would be her undoing. He breathed out relieved as the boss seemed to be charmed by her and promptly higher the pay. If they good something, good. They better got something to satisfy him.

Noah took the map from the elf. “We have. We won’t disappoint you,” Noah said. He shortly looked at the papers. Good enough to make sure they would be of value and then carefully stored them away in his backpack. He would get them out for a more thorough inspection when they were at a saver spot.

“Thank you,” Noah said, tipping his head respectfully as the boss handed Marth the badge. A badge that would make him a little bit saver. A badge he wore with such pride, it warmth Noah. He preferred the boy didn’t have to wear a badge with a mafia symbol on it. If he didn’t have to work for a mob. But maybe if they got the gold, this time was the last time they had to steal. Although he hardly believed it himself.

Noah positioned himself between the boss and Axise, as he threatened Axise. “We won’t mess up.” He straightened his back, held his chin up. The real message unspoken. I am the leader. I take responsibility. Stay away from them.
 
Two silver coins for just trying. Enough for a warm meal. And the gold? That could feed them for weeks. Just the idea of getting a good meal made Axise's mind race and stomach rumble. But then the boss spoke, and she froze in place.

The words he uttered sent a shiver down her spine. He was threatening her. She stood tall and looked him directly in the eye, trying to stay strong. In truth, she was absolutely terrified. Once he turned away, they let out the breath they hadn't even realized they were holding. She knew she had to keep the group relatively in check or else she was going to get hurt. When Noah spoke, they softly smiled to themself. I'm glad I have him.
 
"That's enough for now, I expect you to be back here in three days. Max. Now get going, I have other business appointments," the man waved them goodbye. With that, the doors swung wide open.

"Okay guys, let's go," Violet said. She tapped Noah's shoulder while they made their way out of the office. The trip outside of the building was a bit of a hassle. The four had to go through the hallway again, then they had to go up some metal stairs until they finally made it outside. Or at least what's technically outside.

Outside was cloudy with smog blocking the sky. It was like a permanent cloud over the area that made it impossible to see the moon or stars. And the smell wasn't good either. But they'll get used to it.

"To home..." Violet said, looking around for a bit. They were living near the docks, in an abandoned warehouse that they managed to keep ahold of. It was a small place, not very fancy looking with a leaky roof. But the warehouse had three individual rooms so that was fine. The place was a complete dump with abandoned crates and machinery too heavy to carry. But it was right next to the aether. Where ships sailed in the much clearer skies
 
The abandoned warehouse was a small little place that used to store the imports that this side of the city made. However, the industry collapsed, leaving the city to devolve into slums long before Noah was even born. All that was left was the single warehouse that hasn't been claimed by anyone big or bad. Thieves and looters had long taken everything remotely useful from the warehouse. Leaving just a couple of empty rooms and some junk machines that's been getting rusty for several years now.

But this was home. Most of the warehouse was one touched, but a small area had a few humanly decorations and the sort. There were about three properly decorated areas of the warehouse. The sleeping area where everyone slept in their sleeping bags. There was a fun area that had a bunch of tinkering, mattresses, spray painting and all the stuff of chaos. And the more serious area that's also used as a dining room.

For the most part, the humans would be alone. The old warehouse had no real value, and it just happened to be too near to the aether for any criminal activity. Government ships sailed through the aether, taking a close look at every single thing passing the area.

"Okay, so Noah would be in his private big boy corner to plan our little heist." Violet spoke out loudly, "Marth, prepare the salt-fish. Remember to boil is to remove all the salt."
 
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