, Lovell watched Zero as he ran ahead, scouting out the terrain of the area. Lovell looked at Lance's as he wasted time looking at all the different textiles hanging from lines stretched across the streets. Lovell felt calm, seeing Lance his usual hyper self. Turning his gaze down the dark alleyways, Lovell noticed children huddling together, shaking in fear of their presence. Lovell stopped and sighed as he walked over to them. The children flinched, closing their eyes, afraid of what he was going to do. Lovell put his hand on one of the children holding out a small bag of coins. The child looked at Lovell, seeing his warm smile.
"Here; take it," Lovell spoke softly at the child.
The child hesitated as he looked up at Lovell. "What is in it for me if I do?"
Lovell realized what he was doing stared at the child. "I want nothing, but for you live, you and I are strangers, yes, but I want you to live and grow strong to protect the other little ones. My reward is that I have saved you from death's door for a week or two." Lovell placed the bag on the ground. "It's your choice, lives or dies; the coin is yours to use how you see fit, kid."
Lovell caught up with the Lance and Zero as the child looked in to see silver and gold coins, with a note saying live no matter what goes your way and fight for your place in these dark times. The child walked out of the alleyway yelling at Lovell to thank him. Lovell waved at the child as he turned his gaze slightly at him, smiling as the child's tears overflowed them.
Zero looked at Lovell, "You are the way to nice, for your own good?"
Lovell smiled. "It may be cruel to give them that, but at least they will live to see another day. That kind of thing is rare to see where I had no other motives other than giving them a chance on living with a full belly."
Lance stared at Lovell. "How much did you give them?" his voice course as he stopped Lovell with his question.
Lovell sighed, "Twenty-three gold and one hundred and sixty silver."
Zero punched Lovell in the face., Lovell fell to the ground rubbing his cheek. "You are way to nice for your own good; that's for sure. Fang is going to have a fit when he finds out or even Scarlet will." Zero turned and began walking again. "It's not my funeral when they find out."
Lovell stood up to tell him off when the ground gave way below them. Zero was able to get out of the way as Lovell and Lances plummeted down. As the dust settles, a piece of debris landed on Lance's head, and he called out in pain.
Zero sighed in relief. "Are you ok down there?"
Lovell rubbed his head as Lance looked up at Zero, giving him a goofy smile. "Yeah, we are ok, for now anyway." Lance stood up, brushing off the dust before looking back at Zero. "Go on ahead. We'll meet you either along the way or back at the inn."
Zero watched at Lance helped Lovell up, seeing that they were beautiful. "Ok then, just be careful."
Zero watched as Lance waved him goodbye. He looked down the road seeing the crumbling buildings as rats scurried down them. Zero shuddered at the sight of them, as he made his way deep into the old section of the Winter district.
While he walked, an elder caught his attention, seeing that the old man was fishing in the polluted river. Zero ignored the old man making his way to the slums black market area. He entered the shop, seeing animilian slaves chained on the far side and beasts cowering in iron bars. Zero felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine. The shop keeper walked out from the shadows as Zero jumped upon seeing them.
The shop keeper stared at him as Zero stood back from him. "Well, well, what do we have here?" Zero found the courage to stand his ground before the man. "A half-animilian waltzing into my shop. Now you don't see that every day?" The man moved behind Zero as he blinked. "A fox type no less, but alas, you are not here to become a slave but to find something that interests you?"
Zero shifted away from the man, "I'm here know that people like you know things from the shadows."
The man sneered at Zero, "Name your price, and I might help?"
Zero stood tall at the man. "You want the Rat Kings claw, I guess or would rather a theyans tear?"
The man's face stiffened. "The in for is free then knowing you might know Fang Krisnik."
Zero nodded, "and his half-brother, prince Lovell Krisnik of the Faremin kingdom."
The shopkeeper stared at Zero in fear for his life, Zero hoping that having Lovell as a threat might keep the shopkeeper's mouth shut waited for him to talk. "What is it? You are looking for precisely?"
Zero smiled, knowing that he caught him. "A pendant that might have been sold to you or you might have seen around, and you wanted but know need them to come to you to have."
The shopkeeper thought on it for a moment but shrugged at him. "Sorry, I know nothing other than that you are looking for the stolen pendant from all the commotion. I would help, but this time you are out of luck." Zero sighed as he headed to the door. "But I know of a man that might help—"
Zero turned to him. "He's a slaver in the Spring district, right?" the shopkeeper froze at Zero's knowledge. "Not interested, but I will report you for slavery to the King."
Zero smiled as the shopkeeper fell to his knees, knowing that he was doomed. As he exited, zero saw the old man from earlier sitting on the river's edge closer to him. Zero brushed him off as he walked away.
"That was quite a bold thing you did, young man." Zero turned to the old man as he smiled at Zero. A small red jewel shined around his neck. "What you seem surprised that I was watching you?"
Zero stepped back, trying to leave as the old man hooked him with his fishing rod. Zero was yanked back, falling flat as the old man laughed. Zero got up, ripping the hook out his collar. "What's the big idea, old man!"
The old-time laughed into a grin. "well aren't you a big one I caught them." He got up as Zero growled at him. "well, you are looking for the culprit, are you not?"
Zero calmed down, raising his guard toward the man. "Yeah, how did you know that?"
The man smiled at him. "The way you hold yourself and the fact that no sensible non-human would enter that shop without cause." Pointing his fishing rod at Zero, Zero felt fear start to settle in." You need to find your courage, young man. You are supposed to embody it, are you not?"
Zero blinks at the old man. "You are you senile old man; I don't need to find anything but that—"
The old man chopped Zero's head with his rod. "Seems you did hear me the first time then, Ren-Ky Warrior?" Zero rubbed his head when he realized what the man said. Turning slowly, Zero stared at the old man's grinning face. "Now that I have your full attention, we can talk, but first help an old man out, will you and catch me a big one for my poor wife to cook?" Handing Zero his fishing rod.
Zero stared at the old man, his eyes migrated to the rod. He sighed, knowing that old folk can be tricky to get anything out of them as he wonders how he knew that he was a Ran-Ky warrior? Zero walked over to the river seeing that it was clean and bright as large shadows dotted the bottom of the river. Zero was sure that the river was polluted and was filled with sludge from the factories south of the winter district. Tossed the lure into the water, the old man watched as Zero hooked one fish after the other, but the line snapped each time. Zero became impatient as he tried one last time, his mind cleared feeling like nothing would hook, then the largest one caught, Zero reeled it in as it flew into the air landing beside him.
The old man laughed as Zero's sight returned to reality with a pile of garbage lay beside him as the fish, he hooked flopped on the ground. The shock settled in as Zero fell into the river's shores. The old man bellowed out as he saw Zero's reaction.
Zero stood up at him. "That wasn't funny, old man!"
The man calmed himself as he turned to meet Zero's face. "Well, you earned my help after that, now take that fish and return it to the water, then follow me. I'll help you find your man." Zero did as the old man said and caught up with him.