Let's skip the introduction because we have no time for that.
"Catch him, don't let that thief escape!" yelled across the marketplace as several barbarians in mink cloathing rallied to chase a weeping boy. One threw his axe to a pillar, the other slid under a gambling table, and the last simply charged in the marketplace like a bull.
The pillar rolled down in a thud, blocking the boy's way to the stone gate. Despite the sun already appearing in the winter, the ground blizzard from last night did not vanish, making it harder to see the path.
He looked back to the three shadows getting closer as he stall. But, just above him, a man with the same clothing held a crossbow in his hands, putting his finger on the trigger. "I got you now..."
Swoosh, swoosh. The arrows pierced through a random rice sack placed in the shadow of the child. The shooter's smug immediately melt.
Because of the child's nimble body, hauling a sack on the ground was as easy as stealing the alexandrite gem from the four.
"Get him! Strangle that clack-dish," yelled the first man. "Grab his legs, my men," yelled the second. Followed by the grunts of the third. Unknowingly, these three musketeers were scrimmaging with a fat rice pouch. Only when their fourth big brother came to slap their heads did they realize.
"huff...huff..."
I'm not from this world. As a matter of fact, I won't be too long in it either.
Just when the child was slowing his pace when a sudden heavy force snatched him up in the air, and he could not do anything but wriggle. "You know, I've been looking for you and your kins. But, it seems you're the only one here in the mountain."
The savage with eyes for needles stared at the tears falling from the child's rings, because of the extreme weather conditions of the alp, the boy had freckles of snow in his hair and eyelashes.
"Think 'bout t'is boy," he was lifted up more. Now, it seemed as if the man beneath him was about to eat this twisting fish in his hands, "we're all pressured by the duke, yes? You're fragile body can't even withstand the cold, might as well die now?"
With a smirk, he showed the palm of his hand to the boy. "Give me the alexandrite."
However, he could only sobbed and coughed as he clenched the hem of his clothes, struggling to speak. When he was shook for his ears to turn numb, then he spoke: "I-it's not with me."
The boss was about to speak when his men shouted across the alley: "Chief, we found the gem. It fell deep in the snow while the thief was running."
He looked back to the weeping kid, though he did not say anything before freeing his grip, he was merciful as it was better to bury the juvenile in snow.
Carefully, he sat up to wipe the snot from his red nose.
I'm Mikko, and as far as I know, I'm in the book...No, the land called 'Kingdom of Facade', the most hated Non-Fiction book in the market.
Before transmigration, my world loved the ecstasy of robots and its artificial intelligence. Humanity was basically living in a network where the 'world' was plugged in their eye contacts. But, for an unknown reason, it was suddenly 'plugged of'.
And I was happened to be reading this curse of literature.
You see, instead of civil dispute where the people work for money and food, this world thrives in the interest of the aristocrats as they are the ones to provide for everything in their houses, of course, in exchange for something--a gift for the duke of their region every month.
But, the thing is...only those that could present exquisite materials could receive such things.
"Chief, t'is the alexandrite," said the archer as he gave the purse to the larger man's hand. The four looked up to their big brother, he was exceptionally experienced with the duke's likings, but he also know the tricks of his world.
He opened the purse and stared at the gem inside. A sigh of relief was made when he realized it was indeed the stolen alexandrite, this gem was as rare as it is valued. The purple hue was the color of royalty and its four elagantly shaped edges was the exact copy of the cathedral and the birthplace of the duke.
The five men bursted their anxieties through laughter, the same way the sun slowly revealed its face from the cold clouds.
All of them laughed, but suddenly the first man's laughs faded, then the second, and then the third. Like a domino, their chortles died out with their idol the only one laughing.
Soon, he noticed this. "Why stop celebrating, boys? Didn't we defeat the evil doer? Hahahaha!" but, they merely looked at each other.
Where everyone is competing for their lives, there was no such thing as the word 'bad'...it's not bad.
Mikko gradually regained the feeling of his legs and began walking, a hand tucked neatly in his second cloak.
The boss glanced at the gem, when he saw that the original purple color remained, his heart dropped to his feet.
What makes the alexandrite as valuable as any royal in the country isn't just for its bewildering appearance, but also for its color-changing abilities. When reflected in sunlight, the purple hue will gradually become a translucent blue color. But, this one, was in fact...not an alexandrite but a tanzanite.
This type of stone can merely be found deep in a river bed, it was too common. But, to get the rare appearance of the alexandrite, it seemed as if someone deliberately planned to sharpen it to the same cathedral-form before taking its place in the stolen pouch.
However, it was too late. The barbarians didn't have time to react before the white soldiers and the dozen witnesses arrived in the area.
Mikko took out the gem that shined blue from his cloak, he showed a childish smile.
It's not bad...it's just survival.