"Ah, young Elias, how are you this afternoon?"
The Head Baker had stopped everything he was doing when he saw Elias slink into the Bakery.
He was an older, well-fed man who was always kind towards Elias. Though he was bald, he had a magnificent black mustache that curled at the ends. Presently, however, it was almost as white as Elias' hair from the flour he worked with all day.
"Hi, Flurin!" said Elias. "I've been better for sure, but it's always nice to see you!"
Elias always found himself smiling when he was around Flurin. There was something about the man's naturally joyousness that was infectious.
"I'm glad to hear you enjoy my company!" said Flurin. "What's going on though? Why has your day been less than great until now?"
"I had another run in with Brayden and his gang before dawn, and then again just a few minutes ago. He would have killed me had it not been for the City Guard intervening."
"I can't stand that boy" said Flurin. "No Wielder should ever act like they are better than others just because they have Magic on their side."
Elias' stomach interrupted their conversation, making Flurin burst out in laughter.
"Do you happen to have any leftover burnt bread pieces or anything like that?" asked Elias, clutching his gut.
"I'm sorry, I don't have anything like that today, but don't fret! I may have something else for you. Wait here."
Flurin headed off into a small back room, out of Elias' sight. He quickly returned holding a small cloth bundle, neatly tied at the top.
"For you" he said, holding out the package.
Elias took it graciously, and started unwrapping it. What he found inside made his mouth water.
Neatly packed into the bundle was an entire loaf of fresh bread, still warm to the touch. Some slices of dried, salted meat accompanied it. Last but not least, a small pastry was nestled next to everything, overflowing with a fruit-custard filling.
"Flurin...I can't accept all of this. This has to be worth at least six or seven Silver Iprani!"
"Don't worry about it. If I didn't want you to have it, I wouldn't have given it to you after all. Just enjoy it and try to relax for the rest of the day."
Elias decided not to press the issue further, mainly due to his stomach trying to eat itself.
"Thank you, Flurin! Please let me know if you ever need help with anything."
"You're very welcome. Now, go enjoy your day!"
Elias turned and opened the door, only to be blinded by the intense sunlight. Once his eyes adjusted, he could see that life was back to normal in the Town Square.
He walked a few yards away and found a shaded spot next to a Jeweler's stand. Dozens of sparkling gems covered his counter, and two large men stood on either side, watching for potential thieves.
The spot proved to be especially good for Elias, as he could see almost all of the Square, and no one was bothering him where he was.
Time passed by quickly for Elias, who was too busy scarfing down his meal to notice the sun setting lower in the sky.
It wasn't until he had completely finished that he noticed the orange coloring being cast onto the ground.
"Well, I guess I should be getting back to my sleeping spot. The City Guard won't be happy if I sleep here tonight." he thought to himself.
Getting up to stretch, he noticed that the crowd of people began to part in certain areas, almost like they were making a path. Curiosity got the better of Elias, and seeing as how there was no panic to the movements of the crowd, he decided he wanted to know what was going on.
The closer he got, the more he could make out the ripple effect of the crowd. People were parting for only a moment before closing the gap again and going on about their business.
As he pushed his way through, he could see why: the Aristocracy had arrived.
A man who was as wide as he was tall was leading the small group, a large white cloak draped across his shoulders. His almost solid gray hair was longer than average, but still didn't drop past the bottom of his neck.
Keeping close pace beside of him was a smaller man, maybe just an inch or two taller than Elias. He was thin with short, salt-and-pepper flecked black hair. His tight, black outfit was a stark contrast to that of the man he followed.
Finally, bringing up the rear, was a young lady in a white dress, matching the cloak of the larger man. She had a lightweight cloak on, which she used to cover her hair, leaving Elias only able to see her face.
The group of three made their way to various merchant stands, picking up small trinkets here and there.
After watching them for a few minutes, Elias noticed a fourth person - another man - following closely behind them, but being sure to stay blended in with the crowd as it closed.
He seemed intently focused on the young lady of the group, never really breaking his gaze from her.
Elias decided to shadow his movements from his own position in the crowd, mostly out of curiosity.
The group, now including Elias, made their way in a large half circle around the Square, eventually ending up at the Jeweler where Elias had his meal.
The large man with the white cloak and his smaller counterpart started chatting with the Jeweler himself, never paying much attention to his wares.
The girl, on the other hand, was enamored by the selection. She picked up various pieces to inspect closer, and seemed to have her heart set on an emerald pendant.
The man that Elias had been shadowing began to pick up his pace, almost bursting into a sprint towards the girl.
Elias matched his pace, running to intercept his movements. He saw the quick glint of steel in the sunlight, and began to run faster, shouting the whole way.
"Look out, he's got a knife!"
The group turned to look at Elias, and then noticed the man approaching from the other direction.
The small man in black pushed both Aristocrats behind him, drawing his own weapons.
The assailant never broke his pace, even though he had been discovered. While running, he lifted his arm high above his head and flung his knife through the air towards the girl, who was not completely blocked.
The man in black did the same with the weapon he was holding, aiming for the assailant.
Time seemed to slow down for Elias, who desperately continued to run towards the Aristocrats.
He could see the knife shimmering in the light, and he could see the other weapon - which looked like a hand axe - tumbling end over end in the opposite direction.
The hand axe slammed into the man's face, sending blood flying in all directions. Being the heavier of the two weapons, and the fact that the man was running towards it, he stood no chance.
The knife, on the other hand, was still right on track to hit its mark: the young lady.
Elias got there just in time to feel the searing pain of the knife entering his back, his body hunched over the girl in an effort to shield her. He had been injured before, but this pain was different - and worse.
A look of fear and surprise crossed over the girl's round face. Elias' vision started going blurry, the darkness slowly creeping in from his peripherals.
After fighting the feeling for a few seconds, he finally lost the battle, the pain causing him to black out fully - but not before he saw a single lock of crimson hair escaping from the girl's cowl.