Chereads / Rise of the Sylvain King "Oberon" / Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Gambit

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Gambit

Zephyr pressed himself against the wall of a nearby building. If he was very, very still and equally lucky, the loud drunk would pass right by without noticing him. Unexpectedly, however, a rather dapper-looking person exploded into his alleyway running quite quickly. Harold wasn't too far behind, saber drawn and eyes bloodshot from the dangerous combination of rage and alcohol.

"WHAT PART OF STOP DON'T YOU GET YOU CHEATING SCUM?!" Harold bellowed as he swung wildly at the person he was pursuing. Given he was so far behind them, he missed by quite a large degree, though he did succeed in making himself look foolish.

"I didn't cheat, you sore loser!" The fleeing party called back. "Frankly, with how poorly you play and your rotten luck, I wouldn't need to cheat!"

They passed so close to Zephyr, he would barely have to reach out to touch them at all. That said, This person was making a mistake. There was no passable way ahead, even for the most agile of Fae. The owner of the building had a rather strange phobia of birds and had netted the area around the windows with enchantments to repel anything air born. On top of that, there was a large wall of earth that sectioned off the lower slums from the higher rung of the upper city. There were several such tiers.

"THAT'S WHAT ALL CHEATERS SAY!" Harold shouted and flung the bottle he'd been clutching in his other hand. It missed.

Steeling himself, Zephyr decided it would be prudent to take action. Drunk or not, Harold was capable of doing great harm, not only to the person he was chasing but to any possible bystanders as well. As Harold was getting ready to pass him, Zephyr stuck out his foot.

"Wha-?!" Harold let out a yowl as he toppled forward. Zephyr knew if Harold caught any sight of him, it would likely lead to many ruthless beatings, so he needed to make sure that didn't happen. As soon as Harold was off balance, Zephyr leapt onto his back to speed up his descent, then smacked Harold's head against the ground as hard as he dared. He didn't want to kill the fool...

Harold went down with a grunt, but no fuss. As soon as he was out, Zephyr called on the whisps. At least, that's what they called themselves. Bodiless entities with a fickle nature, the whisps weren't the most reliable aids, but they were a constant companion. So far, he'd managed to find them absolutely everywhere. At first, the most he'd ever gotten out of them were laughs and jeers, but as he'd grown they'd become more chatty around him. Some even warned him of potential danger.

"I know this is short notice," He prayed softly, "and I lack a proper offering, but I beg you aid me. Please make sure this one remains asleep for an hour or so, and that he forgets about the events of today."

[You're so demanding little darkling] came the reply. [But very well, we'll help you this once. We won't be leaving this exchange empty handed however.]

As soon as the words left his mind, Zephyr felt a drain. As far as he understood it, they were capable of drawing from his magical reservoirs when acting on his behalf. If only he knew how to use them himself. Life would be so much easier if he could actively cast magic...

Satisfied, he got to his feet and left Harold to the whisps. He noticed, the other one had stopped to watch him, eyes full of curiosity.

"You stuck your neck out for me?" They wondered.

Now that he had a proper look, Zephyr realized he was speaking to quite an attractive looking woman. Well, based on the illusion enchantments she had heaped over herself, she was supposed to look and sound like a man, but Zephyr had a knack for seeing through such magics. Notwithstanding her enchantments, she had boyishly short platinum hair with a few longer strands framing her round face. A pair of adorable stony grey eyes shone through thick, platinum eyelashes, emphasized by the natural pout of her plump, pink lips. Her smooth skin was a mocha color and noticed with interest she also had a tail. Hers was shorter, thicker, and a lot more animated than his. This indicated she likely had some goblin blood, which would account for her short stature. It might also explain her decision to disguise herself with an illusion. Most weren't kind to half-bloods.

"I really hate Harold," Zephyr replied simply. "He makes trouble everywhere he goes. I was afraid the temperamental bastard would hurt you and others. He's nice like that."

"huh..." She glanced back at the wall of earth and the visible sections of the enchantments that had flared up when she tried flying with the gossamer dragonfly-like wings that were still twitching on her back. "Well, thanks I guess. Looks like I owe you one."

She didn't actually seem pleased with that fact. He was tempted to tell her not to worry about it, but it wasn't often he was able to have a civil conversation with a woman. Even if she was in disguise.

"Thank you for saying as much," Zephyr smiled. "I'll cash in on that favor later."

"Right," Her frown deepened, but she didn't protest. "Probably should introduce myself so you can find me later. The name's Gama, but people like to call me Gambit."

"Gambit huh?" Zephyr kept his face as void of expression as he could. "Here I thought Gimmick was a cooler name."

"Whatever," Gama rolled her eyes. "So what do I call you mister beggar?"

"Zephyr," He replied.

"Zephyr? That's actually a pretty cool name," Gama commented. The words she left unsaid still stung. He could see them in her doubtful expression as she looked him over. It was too bad that he wasn't well suited to his name.

"Thanks," He grunted.

They stood awkwardly for a moment in silence, both avoiding eye contact. Even if she was attractive, he could only handle so much disapproval.

"So.... what should we do about him?" She gestured to Harold.

Before Zephyr had a chance to reply, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head as a very heavy, dull object made contact. Across the way, as his vision swam and he felt himself fall, he saw a large figure grappling with Gama. Of course, the one moment he relaxed his guard, he got jumped.

"Oh by the way, there are some really shady looking guys sneaking up on you!" Twig called as Zephyr felt himself being dragged off by the hair. it didn't feel great, but he couldn't muster the strength to care as his consciousness continued to slip away.

"Thanks for nothing..." he managed to grumble. Then everything went black.