34 Looting

Cole relished the anonymity the fog of the city offered, a silent predator amidst the swirling white, his own snow-white hair blending in perfectly. The two thugs lay groaning at his feet, their pockets emptied of any coin worth taking.

"Now," he spoke confidently, the feather blade circling on his fingers, "where's your stash?"

Terror widened their eyes. One, his lip split open and bleeding, stammered, "We... we don't have any!"

The other, a burly brute with a broken nose, spat at Cole's feet. "Go ahead, feather boy, gut us dry! You won't find a single copper!"

Cole chuckled, a cold, predatory sound. "Oh, I don't need to gut you. Your voice tells me enough."

He flicked his wrist and the Feather Blade from his hand swirled through the air like a miniature serpent. It danced across the face of the burly thug, nicking his earlobe and drawing a shriek of pain.

"Kiighk–!"

"I'm a patient man," Cole chuckled to himself. "And I have all night to have fun around the streets like this, if you know what I mean."

The first thug, eyes brimming with tears, finally caved. "Okay, okay! We have a stash by the…"

His voice trailed off as a shadow darted down from the rooftops. Kaia, a blur of green against the white, perched on Cole's shoulder, her beady eyes gleaming with mischief.

"Ah, Kaia, already here, huh?" Cole murmured, sending the bird a grateful nod. 

With a wink at the whimpering thugs, Kaia already had a pouch held by her beak which she quickly dropped on Cole's open palm– a paltry sum, but enough for another meal and a cheap room for the night.

At least that's he thought, feeling content at the shocked reactions of the two men who were checking their empty pockets.

"Thanks for being so weak, bleh!" he scoffed, and left that alleyway to the main street, following Kaia's guidance as she flew way slower than usual so Cole could follow her without any difficulty.

The next few hours were a blur of rooftop chases, whispered threats, and swift, silent takedowns. 

He even snatched a black coat with a hood from an unconscious mage thug before melting back into the fog.

"Fighting like this in the fog… I'm surprised I don't have any difficulties with my sight. Do these white-blue eyes of mine being weird have any benefit to them I wonder."

Cole felt like a wraith, flitting through the shadows, extracting silver coins and copper bits from hapless thugs who never saw him coming. 

Fifteen encounters, fifteen pouches lighter, ten silver coins, and two hundred coppers clinking in his makeshift sack. Not a King's ransom, but a small treat he had never tasted before.

In one particularly thrilling battle, he disarmed a hooded figure with a deft flick of his Feather Blade, only to realize the hilt of the thug's fallen weapon was encrusted with sapphires. 

"Oh, my~? This is turning way more productive than what I expected it to be." His eyes gleamed. This, he could pawn for a decent sum.

***

Step, step, step.

The Haare is growing thicker.

The air is feeling colder against his skin.

He let out a breath as he walked on the lone streets, not a single human passing by. 

'It should be quite late, so it's normal.'

"Now, all that's left is finding an inn," he muttered to himself, nerves slightly fluttering in his stomach whenever he gazed at the pouch. This was more money than he'd ever held at once, a strange weight in his palm.

Kaia chirped softly, sensing his unease. 

He chuckled, feeling a warmth spread through him at her silent comfort. "What have I become, being consoled by a bird child?" he mumbled to himself.

"For tonight, Kaia, one last task," he instructed, his voice taking on a leader's edge.

"Find Kren. Tell him to enter the city and stay hidden on rooftops. We don't want to draw attention."

She chirped and then became a flash of emerald before vanishing into the swirling fog.

Cole watched her go, a breath leaving his lips again. "This one never fails to surprise me at her abilities. I wish I had brought the interpreter, too, but Lyra needs him to converse with the dumber ones currently."

Step, step, step.

He trotted through the streets and then without much delay, Kaia reappeared on his shoulder as he neared a flickering lamppost. "You're back already?" he asked, surprised.

She simply nodded, her gaze sweeping past him. 

Cole followed her silent direction, his eyes widening as they landed on a warm, inviting establishment: "The Mistfallen Inn."

'Albeit the name sounds quite cold.'

Kaia darted towards the rooftops, while Cole, taking a deep breath, pushed open the heavy oak door.

The contrast to the bleak streets was jarring. 

The inn buzzed with a low murmur of conversation, the air thick with the smell of roasting meat and spiced ale. 

'Sigh… Let's do this.'

It was the first time he normally interacted with another human being ever since he was about to be executed.

He approached the bar, a nervous lump forming in his throat. "One night," he rasped, handing over a silver coin. 

The barkeep, a man with a proper beard, gave him a gruff nod. "Room upstairs, third door on the left."

'He took the whole silver coin?' Cole's jaw nearly hit the floor.

The news settled in Cole's stomach like a lump of hardtack. One silver coin for a room in this desolate place? The world, indeed, had tilted on its axis after the Celestial Eclipse. 

"Erm, sir, does the night here cost one full silver coin?" Cole asked once more just in case.

"Yes, just look at our venue in this forsaken world, and you'll see it's more than worth it."

Taking that as a signal, he turned around, gazing around the inn.

Tables, decorations, food, drinks, anything one may want and need to feel like everything is normal.

"I see, makes sense. Then, I shall order something too."

"Here's the menu." The bartender kept it short as he slid a piece of paper.

"What's this 'Melted Chocolate' thing?" Cole asked, seeing something he hadn't heard of before.

"Oh? That's our newest item on the menu.

"Then… I shall give it a taste. Give me one."

Not even five minutes later, a big mug was served before him.

'This looks like mud… Argh, I will not waste my money!'

Encouraging himself to chug at his mug, Cole was surprisingly pleased with the taste. 

'Ahhh, I feel the sweet warmth spread through me. Wow, chill, that was way more inappropriate than I thought it would be.'

As he continued to enjoy his drink and hold his chuckles at his own humor, his attention was abruptly stolen by a familiar face entering the inn. 

The slender man he had saved earlier walked in, scanning the room. 

Cole, caught off guard, choked on his 'chocolate' and attracted the attention of the man.