"Oh! This is cool" Axon chirped as he fiddled around with a cylinder shaped object in his hands.
"What is it" He spoke with a confused expression before it was snatched with a surprising speed.
Milo limped a few steps away with a bright smile on his face. He held it up to his eye and then twisted it, The fractured colors reflecting in his gaze.
"I think it's a kaleidoscope" The crippled boy looked like a child who had found a new toy.
"A what?" Axon asked dumbly.
He didn't notice the gaze of disdain from Milo as he started to rummage through the bag once more. Angel watched from the edge of the greenhouse unable to keep in the sigh that broke out, He truly didn't understand why the two acted as if they were mentally deficient.
"Ninety eight…Ninety nine…and finally one hundred" Kade sat across from him slowly counting the golden Cogcoins that had been in the sack.
It was Kade's third time counting them but Angel didn't stop him.
Perhaps he was also in disbelief that they had stolen so much.
Cogcoins we're separated into bronze and golden ones,The latter were called so because of the small amounts of real gold that was mixed into them. Of course compared to the credits used by those in Ironhaven, They only had around a third of the value.
Angel was the only one out of the five who had seen a credit, It was only from a distance but it was just as shiny as one could imagine.
'A hundred coins' Angel could feel his lips turning upward.
He could already picture what they could spend the coins on. First of all they could get out of their makeshift shelter that had been their home for the past year and a half, It had kept them safer then most street rats but at the end of the day it wasn't a real home.
'We could buy a real house'
Angel wasn't very knowledgeable on the housing market, He knew that his mother had paid around 100 bronze coins per week for the tiny apartment he was raised in.
200 bronze coins equaled one gold Cogcoin, Angel was sure they had more then enough to buy something in the center of the depths that was protected by the five factions. Real estate wasn't scarce in the Iron depths, There were countless abandoned buildings scattered around.
But safety was, And the further you got away from the territory's of the five factions the higher the chances you would be robbed.
Or much worse.
There were many psychos in the undercity and all of them only carried about one thing.
Themselves.
"Angel" Kade spoke with a serious expression.
"We should get something less artificial to celebrate" He waved around the packet of rations.
"We shouldn't waist any coins" Angel rejected the idea causing an ugly pout to fill the larger boys face.
"Chocolate" It was then that Sable's voice sounded out to his side.
"I agree, Let's get chocolate" Angel instantly agreed with a gentle smile glancing at the young girl was cuddled up like always.
Angel felt no shame, Although he ignored Kade's blank stare.
"Maybe we should buy our Angel a collar with a leash, A very small one at that" Kade muttered beneath his breath but froze when Angel smiled at him with a glint in his eyes.
"S~so…." Kade looked away.
"What do we do about the….other thing" The larger boy glanced back at Milo and Axon making sure to keep his voice low.
"What can we do?" Angel let out a small sigh feeling as if his pocket had a burning hole.
"It's not something we can just sell, Unless you want to get robbed and killed?" He raised an eyebrow toward Kade who nodded.
"I'd prefer not"
"But it's useless just keeping it" Kade put the last golden coin back into the sack.
"Yes" Sable added her agreement.
"We have to find someone trustworthy" Angel rubbed his pocket.
"Not to mention that if a peice of eclipsium just pops up then the person we took it from will surly get suspicious" He shrugged his shoulders while pushing himself off the ground.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow" Angel felt mentally exhausted after such a long day.
A little breaking and entering, Buglery, And stealing an object that was priceless in the depths.
"And get Chocolate as well" He smiled toward Sable who watched him every second of the way.
"Fine!" Kade rolled his eyes dramatically and went over to Milo and Axon who were wrestling once more.
******
Angel found himself perched on the edge of the roof, The cool air brushed against his skin as he reached into his pocket pulling out the shard of Eclipsium.
The jagged purple gem seemed to pulse faintly, As if it had a heartbeat of its own.
Angel held it up toward the sky.
Watching the way the dim light refracted through its crystalline surface.
"Beautiful" He murmured barely a whisper.
Angel never thought he'd hold a piece of Eclipsium in his life. It was the kind of thing a street rat like him heard about in stories.
Minutes passed as he examined it.
Running his fingers across the smooth, almost metallic surface. He scrapped it experimentally against the edge of the roof watching as it left behind a deep gouge in the iron.
"Sharp" Angel turned it over in his hands.
Despite knowing how foolish it was he brought the shard to his mouth and bit down gently on its edge. His teeth met resistance like biting into steel but it didn't budge.
The shard was tougher than anything he'd encountered.
"How exactly do they use it?" Angel wondered aloud narrowing his eyes.
It seemed like nothing more than a strange and sharp glowing rock.
As he turned it over one last time, A thick fog began to creep up from the alleyways below.
At first, Angel barely noticed it continuing his examination but soon it rolled in like a wave, Engulfing the rooftop in an eerie shroud.
'….' Angel stiffened, His instincts kicking in.
The air felt colder and heavier.
His eyes quickly darted around the rooftop
'This isn't normal' Angel slowly pushed the shard of Eclipsium into his pocket with his heartbeat quickening.
The fog grew denser, Swallowing the surrounding buildings in a matter of seconds. Angel felt a prickle of unease run down his spine as the shadows around him seem to deepen.
He slowly stood up as every fiber of his being screamed that something was wrong.
And so he didn't hesitate to turn toward the green house.
"Run!" Angel's voice cut through the unnatural silence that had settled over the rooftop.
Yet before he could take a step, A sharp pain exploded at the back of his head.
"Ugh!"
Angel grunted and stumbled forward, His vision blurred. His legs buckled unable to hold his weight as he crumpled to the ground.
"Are all kids this observant?" A voice tinged with amusement rang out through the fog just behind.
'….' Angel used his last bit of energy to glance back seeing the faint silhouette of a figure standing over him.
He couldn't see clearly because of the fog and his hazy vison but Angel saw a faint crimson glow of two pericing irises.
'…Red circuit'
Darkness swallowed him whole.