"What happened? Are you fucking sick? I_,"
"Shut your hole,"
His eyes dilated as the guard said so.
_ Back to the drawing board_I'll probably end up in the therapist's again, he thought.
Kane grinned at him while they escorted him out of the gaming house. He was the one bold enough to show his relief, Eve didn't because she thought it was the right way to behave, "I think you need_"
"Don't tell me how to behave," His eyes squinted.
Kane raked his hair and stepped inside his cell, he was so bored with himself, he took off the upper cloth of his white overall and tied it and stepped down doing press-ups.
Kane could almost see Melissa's face before she left with her mother after the judge decided. He didn't even have visiting rights unless he paid.
"Mom said you were too focused on the residence to see me," She shrugged and his eyes shut at Heather at it again.
"That's not how I see it, your mom and I just see things differently,"
Her blue eyes rose glassy and red "I don't want things to be different, can you at least come over?"
He licked his lip and held her shoulders. "Maybe some other time, I brought lollies," Her eyes lit up and then she held back to show some form of self-restraint.
"They're sugar free," He assured.
"You said these were as dangerous as the sweet ones,"
"Not if you've had too many,"
Heather held her purse as she walked approached from behind him.
"She's behind me isn't she?" It jerked a snicker from her and she swiped the treats going over, mortified.
Heather's grey eyes met his. "Sugar free, typical,"
"How's Chris doing?"
"Doing better," Heather answered with resentment "Let's go Mel."
She licked her lollies turning with her to leave.
"One at a time, don't get so greedy," She snatched two and Melissa complained.
"Later!" She waved. He raised a hand "See you in the funny papers,"
Their voices faded out his memory and his arms shook and he sighed when he lost count. "1...2...3..."
...
Regnon Forst
Where could his client be at this possible moment?
He grimaced at the Forst boggards as they trod through the town, the houses were made of stones with plants climbing over them and holes sculpted to be windows and doors, the ground was interlocked with moss and there were more trees than there were in Cauli.
The city had many rings about it, the enchanted forest, (Albero), the village, the inner city, the wetlands Fleuridium where the population of boggards were greater than humans.
The hawk landed in the worst place possible and ruffled its feathers. It couldn't be the viceroy. The brown house stood tall on stilts over the water with algae floating over the water and the brick stone pieces overlapped each other on the roof. The walls looked like they had been broken into and poorly replaced with vines to cover them.
There were salalizards hanging on the beams. Dry ones. by the end of thin fibre twines.
There was an old sign. He lifted the paper and flipped it comparing the initials. "This is the one,"
He brushed the vines off and entered a dark room except for a stage with spaced out vines glittering and a sprite performing.
"Hey you," He glanced at the sprite
"No!"
He turned again facing the Forst boggard, he had venus fly traps for hair and his wooden face was patched with moss, he had pointy shoulders made of sticks growing up to merge at the tip. They were so sharp, he might cut himself just by looking at them. He had tree markings that outlined the rest of his body, he wore a red jacket.
"Flirting with my dancers, are you!?" He waved a finger.
"Christ no"
The flytraps hissed and snapped at him, his movements were especially animated and he felt like he was staring at a poor product of visual effects. But that was the edge a fellow like Woodwind had over other boggards.
"Oh, so you're saying they're not desirable enough?" He suggested,
This was Woodwind, a fine dealer who got swindled by Zenith a long time ago.
"Where's the reward?" His voice muffled in his mask.
Woodwind nodded circling him "I want evidence,"
He raised the mace with his blood on it to hit the mark.
"Good, good."
He reached for it raising it up, laughing "This'll make a fine collection, now, I don't have a dime to give to you, no no," His finger grew up to small twig with leaves and he dropped the mace, the floorboards shattered at its weight. He reached into his jacket and the creature squeaked, it was a pocket sized green squid. "I meant to eat that,"
He munched it and Zenith grimaced, it's tentacles were still moving.
He raised a map "This is your compass right here, I seized it from Zenith while he was banished, devil take his soul,"
His eyes rounded at the temple on it
"This is the secret to all his successful heists but since you're retiring..." He flicked it. "I'm sure you'd like a trophy,"
Guy laughed at the map switching between realms_sweet. He hid it.
+1000
*Level 2
Woodwind eyed him "Okay? While you're at it, why don't we make a toast?" He made a come-hither gesture.
A sprite brought two crystals with a green substance in them.
"I'd love to stay and chat," His eyes narrowed "Nähren?"
She was wearing a grassy dress with straps and her mohawk was made to look rougher. Her eyes flashed "Good evening, Zenith."
Shite, he pushed up and she looked stricken with fright.
[!!!! Get out and run ]
"Zenith!?" He pushed up infuriated at her but Zenith was already leaping off the stairs, he took off his mask and swiped a robe and scarf staying hidden.
He took off his mask and wrapped around the scarf his neck.
New Skill: Master of Disguise.
"No kidding, they'll be stripping every human on the street,"
He rubbed moss all over himself and slid past the narrow pathway inbetween two homes. His breath quickened_Rigged to rat out contestants ay?
"I saw him, well...she did," Woodwind reported with Nähren to the Forst bogguards.
"And he stole my map," He shook his fists.
There were beasts the shape of large dogs with the cranium of a rat, the end of their dented mouths lowered sniffing. The bogguards were ready to put a notice on the missing bandit. As he theorized, they stopped humans and the guards held on as the beasts turned relying on their instincts to guide them.
One pawed up a tree and sweat rolled down his face as he pushed up the branch, he screamed and fell off the branch as it leaped trying to climb on. The guard dropped.
He huffed when he nearly landed on a boulder.
"Halt!" The others noticed the uproar and it screeched trying to snap him.
The guard pulled the reigns and his legs grew rooting itself in the ground.
Zenith gasped and the hawk landed on the rock.
"My sincerest apologies Akero," He recognized by his loyal messenger and he sniggered and put the Forst hound down again.
"That's not Akero! He's the thief!" Woodwind pointed.
Before he brought out his sword, Zenith hopped on the saddle and gripped its jaw, it screeched and throttled trying to get him off.
"He's getting away!"
Zenith grit his teeth and flicked the reins around its mouth and pulled, it twisted and he smashed against the wall riding past the bridge of floating rocks into a misty mountainside. He rolled off and it turned snapping the ropes, scratching at the ground,
"Easy mutt," He spun the cable and stepped back to the edge, it attacked and he smacked it, it recoiled and lunged suffering another whip. "I'd hate to be this person but I don't want to die,"
He saw two gashes on its face and leg, its ears drooped, circling him with caution, his eyes widened at the breeze and he hurled the bogguard down before it leapt on him.
"Ah," He caught the splinters and swiped the cable at his neck and threw him off, rolling over before the beast jumped him. His scarf fell off confirming their suspicions truly.
The bogguards stopped at him and charged, he knotted the cable on the mace and flung it, stripping the tribid dogs of their riders.
They fell off the rock steps and he ducked when the mace rebounded, wedging itself into a rock, he fell back when another punched him, he rolled beside the rock where the mace was and the cables around him. He wiggled in the tangle and fell back at the net.