《Mirror Stone》 1 Loose Stones Emma made her way between the numerous informal merchants plaguing the street and reached the local store for her first job in weeks. ¡°This will be good; the fancy ones always pay better¡­¡± mumbling to herself as she looked up at the two story building. Above the clean entrance, a colorful sign advertised with big letters the pride of the owner for everybody to see. [Rael¡¯s Jewelry] The elf publicly recognized as the second best stonecrafter in town, first if you asked a conservative channeler. ¡°But then again he must be desperate to call for someone like me.¡± She took one little stone from the bag hanging at her waist and checked inside to find only two more. The depressing view of her funds made her sigh and clench her fist around the stone. She made her way in and a comfy store way lager than the outside revealed appeared. Emma walked straight for the main counter and called the attendant pointing the insignia stitched at her chest. A small shield with a gray pebble that certified her as a free channeler; a mercenary. ¡°Hello.¡± She called but the pale man sited in front of the stairs only spared her a glance before returning to organize the carved stones in the counter. ¡°Ahem¡­¡± ¡°We do not sell second hand goods here girl and certainly neither want the likes of your kind in the store.¡± He snapped ¡°I¡¯m here because your Boss called. Specifically; for one of my kind.¡± ¡°We will see. Do not touch anything.¡± He grumbled as he went upstairs. As soon as he got out of her sight she swept her hand over the counter and felt delighted the smoothness of the fine and shiny wood. ¡®Whew, Nicole would love a table made of this. Whatever it is¡¯ Turning Emma detailed the rest of the first floor. In the middle of the room five counters displayed different sizes of stones of varying colors, each one marked with neat runes and identified with a corresponding tag written in equally fluid calligraphy. She almost drooled thinking how much channel could each of those get her but that was not the main dish. At the border walls was a much more impressing display of wealth. Two big shelves were filled with precious stones engraved in shiny metal necklaces, chains and bracelets. Red, amber, blue, green¡­ Different qualities but every one of them rare and expensive as hell and above all at the top of the biggest shelf was a clearstone, polished almost perfectly and reflecting with white splendor all of the noon¡¯s light. ¡°Martin¡¯s one¡­¡± she whispered. ¡°Beautifull aint it?¡± A deep voice startled her out and she turned to find an old and small elf wearing a ridiculously huge monocle and comfortable yet elegant clothes. ¡°E-excuse me?¡± ¡°The clearstone gal, a craftman¡¯s pride¡¯s in it¡± He said smiling. ¡°And it is really expensive I guess¡± she answered. ¡°Not that one¡± he shook his head ¡°that lil one aint for sell. Only one of those I gave away and it was for an ol frien¡¯ o mine, the one in that shelf¡¯s but a shadow of the other one. The name¡¯s Rael by the way. Ron tells me you¡¯re here to answer my request?¡± ¡°Yes sir, I¡¯m Emma; Emma Baskerville. Picked the request and came here as soon as it was posted at the stand.¡± She said showing a small piece of parchment with the request written in it. ¡°Good. Come upstairs. Don¡¯t wanna have someone else messin¡¯ round right now.¡± She followed Rael past the main counter ignoring Ron¡¯s glare and took the stairs to the second floor of the store. ¡°I take it he doesn¡¯t like free channelers¡± ¡°Ron? Hehe; he calls em¡¯ loose stones gal. You tell me. But¡¯s not his fault though, a lot of rantins and rumors being spread by the crown. They want folk to hire only royals, but ya know? They get paid whether the job gets done or not. I rather have a loose stone, no offense, than a royal. The whole no job no stone thing ya get me?¡± They got out of the stairs to a small dining room with view to a small corridor. ¡°This¡¯s the place where we were when it happened. Two of my apprentices and me havin¡¯ lunch here. In the corridor there is a small bathroom and at the end is the studio. Windows were closed by myself before lunch and closed we found em¡¯ after.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! She checked the bathroom, it was a small room with a window the size of a man¡¯s head above the toilet. Unless someone was made of smoke or a critter that was not a way in or out. Looking at the end of the corridor the only part of the studio visible was a big window with view to the front of the store. They entered the studio and she found a tall and bulky man wearing a raincoat and a hat talking with two skinny elves. ¡°Won¡¯t you get cooked wearing that with this sun Smith?¡± She said with mockery. ¡°It is always nice to see you Emma, even if you don¡¯t like me anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not friend with any royal. Got here for a job.¡± ¡°And a job you have gal¡± said the old elf getting in the middle. ¡°At the left of the door are my apprentice¡¯s desks; the window there¡¯s get you to a blind alley. Only two major stones got lost from there, not engraved nor carved. At the right however; is my desk.¡± And what a desk it was. Huge. Filled with stones and mirrorwork scattered in disorder around a big mirror framed in motherstone. The Crown¡¯s most famous and sacred emblem. ¡°You don¡¯t look like the typical royalist sir.¡± Emma blurted. ¡°And I¡¯m not. That mirror is part of a big deal lass. Was supposed to be delivered today to a nobleman with a set of engraved jewels. A present for his daughter¡¯s birthday or something like that. The problem here is that every finished piece in the set besides the mirror got lost while we had lunch¡± ¡°So you are telling us that in the middle of the day. When the streets are busier someone got in here climbing the building and opening the windows and no one saw it? ¡± said Smith. ¡°And closed the windows afterwards too. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± Emma added. ¡°This is ridiculous. How do you expect that we get something without a single lead?¡± Smith complained. ¡°Look lad, bastard took every last one of the charged major stones and the deal is due today I need at least the two my boys had to complete a decent set. Ya get me something and I¡¯ll pay you handsomely¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lose my time¡± Smith said walking to the door. ¡°I, I can try. Won¡¯t be cheap though¡± Emma smiled cunningly. ¡°Just try Lass, I¡¯ll pay what you spend and add a small bonus for the trouble. A big one if you succeed.¡± She just nodded and step at the door to get a full view of the studio. Holding tightly the small stone she had been playing with before getting to the store she channeled her mana inside it and took it back almost immediately. She felt depressed as half of the stone crumbled into dust but had no time to cry because when the mana got back in her a surge of pressure stroke her. World seemed to slow down a bit and every sense she felt was amplified. ¡®Think Emma, no time to enjoy now. Thief got here to take something specific, the nobles present? Then why didn¡¯t he break the mirror? Makes no sense. He got in at this side, fancy stones engraved in shiny metalwork yes, at the old ones desk every piece taken had metal attached. Then at the apprentices side?¡¯ She took a quick glance and saw lots of metalwork there. The only missing pieces were the major stones waiting for engraving. ¡®Odd; ones with metal and the others without work. If it was one person then it doesn¡¯t make sense. There were two robberies. First thief gets inside. Right side of the study. Wipes out every finished piece because it is something personal but for some reason can¡¯t get to the left side. The middle of the study can be seen from the dining room. So afterwards they get in and in the disorder someone takes a chance. The other two stones were¡­¡¯ ¡°Taken by a little rat¡± she said turning at the apprentices. ¡®One of them is sweating a little bit more, hands clenched this is it!¡¯ She ran straight at the smaller apprentice but when she was about to grab his arm he suddenly accelerated and punched her in the eye and immediately jumped at the biggest window directly into the street. ¡°Che! Full speed channeler? Let¡¯s see if I don¡¯t get you!¡± She screamed while jumping after him leaving a pair of master and apprentice very confused in the studio. 2 Shiny Metal The elf landed spinning cleanly on the street and headed for the corner of the square. ¡°Fuck! It is not fair they can just run that fast!¡± Emma cried as she landed in someone and else immediately pushed a merchant out of his mount and chased after the elf without looking back. ¡°What the!...¡± Ignoring the familiar voices that complained behind her she turned and saw the elf in the blind alley jumping a fence without slowing down a beat. Only then she looked at the mount she had just acquired. It was a load lizard! One of the heaviest mounts tamed! ¡®Urg¡¯ ¡°Come on baby, I know you can do it if you try. It is just a small jump over that little fence there!¡± Encouraged by Emma, the heavy lizard accelerated and jumped with all of its will. However, it was unknown to both mount and rider that while load lizards were very bad at jumping they were also extremely thick headed and so the lizard majestically flew and impacted the fence at the middle but did not stop! Emma, the lizard and the fence kept their momentum and charged full throttle after the elf! Seeing this the elf felt despair and sprinted to the first kiosk at the street. It was a charmer¡¯s kiosk loaded with perfumes and expensive oils. He dashed at it and taking an oil barrel threw it at his persecutors but the lizard rather than slowing step over the barrel and splashed oil all around! With its paws covered in oil the lizard lost control and slid in a straight line crashing with the elf and a wall! ¡°Ayyyy!¡± cried miserably the poor elf as he was smashed silly but Emma didn¡¯t wasted time and quickly started to beat him blue! ¡°Where is it! Give back the stones skinny bastard!¡± ¡°Oww! Aww! Ple-please stop! Here! Take it! I only took two please!¡± ¡°Haha! Now you don¡¯t look so smart do you?¡± Bam! She took the two major stones the elf offered her but kept beating him anyway! ¡°Nooo¡± helplessly trapped between the fence and the wall the elf felt extremely wronged until someone grabbed Emma to stop her. ¡°We need him alive Emma. Don¡¯t you have what you wanted already?¡± Smith said holding her hands ¡°Channeler sir! Please arrest me! Hurry!¡± Cried the elf. ¡°Hmph. He deserved more. Got him well done for hitting me! Come on girl, got to get you back with your owner.¡± Emma and the lizard snorted together and made their way back to the store all triumphal and dragging some fence along. --------------------------Later that day in another place¡­ Daniel wasn¡¯t feeling happy. Three hundred dollars; that is what he expected to get from the gold he got to the pawn shop but the stupid attendant offered not even half of that after weighing it. Around him a wide variety of cramped goods filled shelves and tables in a disorganized collage. ¡°Listen, the last shop I visited offered two hundred; I can take that and we both know you will be having a great deal.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t do. Go back to your last store and sell it to them.¡± ¡®Aargh insufferable bastard!¡¯ Daniel thought while glaring at the attendant ¡°One hundred fifty. I won¡¯t give you more than that¡± If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Why not? It is worth at least three hundred! It is even ready to sell as chains!¡± Ron; that was the name in the small tag at the chest of the attendant. ¡®No wonder he is a jerk; no one with that name can be a good person.¡¯ Daniel thought. ¡°That, is part of why it isn¡¯t worth more.¡± Ron said calmly as if he was telling it to a child ¡°We don¡¯t sell jewelry as it is. What we sell is the gold per se to a craftsman who will smelt it to make his own works. We lose money from taxes to buy it from you, resell it to the craftsman and also have to pay other things like our local bills on light and other stuffs. Besides¡± He continued ignoring Daniel¡¯s cramping face ¡°These ¡®chains¡¯ were part of a necklace. We are not stupid to sell it as it is because only god knows where you got them; I would take a guess and say you already took and pawned the precious stones that were attached here.¡± Finished Ron pointing at the chain part that was a little scratched ¡°Ugh. These are my heritage! No one will come to make trouble here if you buy them!¡± But Ron only frowned and looked at him silently while deciding what to do. ¡°Let¡¯s do this¡± Ron said finally ¡°I¡¯ll give you one hundred thirty for them¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Let me finish. One hundred thirty and, give you the number of the craftsman. That way the next time you want to sell some ¡®heritage¡¯¡± and he smiled smugly ¡°you can go directly to someone who doesn¡¯t really cares about the gold¡¯s origin. What do you say?¡± ¡°Tch. That craftsman better give me a good price you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes, yes¡± Ron said while writing a number on a small paper and taking away the chains. At night, Daniel arrived at his apartment being still somewhat dissatisfied with his sell. He opened the door and a silent dining-living room received him. On the table a bowl with five small stones rested where he left it earlier that noon. ¡®To think that someone would set stones in a gold necklace. What is the people thinking these days?¡¯ ¡°But they are somehow cute.¡± The stones where dark gray and had almost the size and shape of a dollar and with a small colored rune carved in the middle. He picked one gently and rubbed it within his thumb and index finger. The stone was cold and smooth. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll just have to take some more ¡®heritages¡¯¡± he said with a smile putting down the stone and the money he collected in the bowl and headed to the bathroom. There; he wore the bag pack, security lenses and ski mask he left hanging besides his mirror and took a metal bat from behind the toilet. In the mirror, his masked figure returned him the stare. ¡®Good¡¯ He thought. Focusing, he concentrated his energy to open the door once more in the last place he searched; while the sight was a different one than the last time, he was not disappointed. A fancy dressing table appeared with two more gold necklaces and beyond it was a room filled with elegant furniture. ¡°Ten more grands¡± he laughed ¡°Like this I¡¯m going to reach it really quick¡± and without waiting more he jumped through the door. 3: Ghost Emma arrived to The Drowned Stone dragging her feet and hiding her face from the sun. As soon as she slammed the door open a familiar scent of alcohol welcomed her. The only other client in the place waved her a wrinkled hand that held an empty bottle without rising his head from the bar mumbling half heatedly. At the other side of the bar a young bartender yawned at her and stood up slowly from his chair. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too Mark.¡± She answered at the drunkard while walking to the bar. ¡°It kind of hurts that after three months without coming you greet Mark before me.¡± ¡°Who cares Jhon? He greeted me first! Just hurry up with it, the headache is killing me!¡± ¡°Hmm. How much was this time? Your eyes look red¡± He asked while taking a yellow bottle from the shelf behind the bar. ¡°Half a stone; a dirty one. oow.¡± she complained and took the chair beside Mark while rubbing her forehead. Jhon frowned and put back the bottle to take an orange one instead. ¡°Didn¡¯t said you would take care the last time? Nicole won¡¯t be happy if she learns you are using that trash again.¡± ¡°If, is the key word. And that is why I came here first. Besides; this time really made it big. It will only be clean stone for some time now¡± ¡°Hope so. Ice?¡± ¡°Please. I love you.¡± ¡°You and half of my clients. Mark here confessed three times just today. Here; drink it before the ice melts¡± ¡°Thanks!¡± And she gulped it down without pausing. Ignoring the initial bitter aftertaste Emma breathed slowly and felt the coldness spread from her stomach to the rest of her body making her tremble slightly. When the coldness reached her head the throbbing headache faded to left only a sense of fatigue with a bit of freshness. ¡°Better?¡± ¡°A world better!¡± ¡°Your eyes are still red though so you should wait a little before going.¡± ¡°Yeah. Expected as much.¡± ¡°So how was it? The great job you completed?¡± ¡°Did not complete it. However; I helped the client and got paid some sweet stone. Big client that one. You know Rael?¡± ¡°Rael? Ar Rael? The Gemcrafter?¡± ¡°That very one. Well; his study got robbed but it was in a strange way.¡± She said tilting her head. ¡°Phew. If it is what I think, then it is rather interesting. Tell me more about it.¡± Jhon said pouring her and himself a glass of rum with ice. ¡°What you think?¡± She asked arching one eyebrow and taking the drink he offered her. ¡°Mhm. There were two robberies. I stopped the second one. Apparently one of Rael¡¯s assistants saw the things gone from the first rob, thought himself smart enough to get away with it and took his chance. Got the bastard really well hmph! That¡¯s what I got paid for.¡± ¡°And the first one?¡± Jhon asked. ¡°Things got missing; just like that. Middle of the day in a full warded studio with the only open entrance right in front of Rael and his guys. No one goes in nor out of the studio that way. Nevertheless, all the ready to deliver stones got lost; vanished in the air without a single trace!¡± Emma said while hitting her forehead against the bar. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.¡°When you say ready to deliver means carved and engraved in metal?¡± ¡°Yep. They told me the stones were part of a set for a noble¡¯s daughter birthday party. His assistant was escaping with the only two major stones the first thief left.¡± ¡°Hmm. You might have been screwed haha.¡± ¡°What do you mean?!¡± She asked rising her head and staring him. ¡°You see, that birthday party is actually the younger princess¡¯ coming of age. And I bet that pair of stones you got Rael back is going to be one of the few presents of that kind she will be getting¡± ¡°The princess¡¯ party?! How comes no one said a thing?!¡± ¡°Where were you the last three months? Holed up in your house leeching from Nicole? People is talking about it everywhere!¡± ¡°Cough cough. Whatever. Rael¡¯s store is not the only one in the city with good stones. Sure every big one is to the top with orders for it.¡± ¡°Oh yes. They were¡­¡± And he smiled ¡°Were?¡± ¡°Until today it is. You see; that thief of yours? Must have been really busy because Rael¡¯s was the fourth store that got hit today. Hahaha¡± ¡°Fucking elf! Should have asked for six middle stones! And how do you know that? That it is the same thief in every case?¡± ¡°Because each client today before you complained about the same things haha. No clues, middle of the day and full warded place with all the engraved stones lost. By the end of the week I bet half of the nobles will be looking for him to get his head and the other half to hire him!¡± ¡°Him?¡± she asked squinting her eyes. ¡°A little girl saw him. She said he wore only black clothes with a weird mask which was also black and had a metal club.¡± ¡°In full black with a club? What is up with him and the church outfit? Is he a mugger priest or something?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± And he took a gulp from his glass and lifted his index finger ¡°but the people is already calling him the ghost priest though. You should go and talk with the girl if you want to know more. They had her in the main temple with a ridiculous amount of guards but that shouldn¡¯t be a problem right?¡± He said smiling. ¡°Hmph. What do you know?¡± she snorted. ¡°And why did the church take her?¡± ¡°Word¡¯s spread that the thief left her something. The kind of shiny something that nobles and wealthy merchants go killing people around for. Luckily for the girl the church got to her first and apparently they are canonizing her together with the princess¡¯ ceremony¡± ¡°Thief gets spotted by a girl and gives her a gem? Don¡¯t buy it.¡± ¡°Gives her a gem and still takes the engraved major stones with him. You don¡¯t have to buy it though, just remember to come back and tell me what you find after asking her hahaha.¡± ¡°Who says I¡¯m going to ask her?¡± and she gulped the rest of her rum. ¡°Who knows? Your eyes should be good by the time you get to your house now.¡± ¡°Hmph. I¡¯ll think about it. How much is it?¡± and she stood up to left ¡°The potion fifteen pebbles the rum¡¯s on the house.¡± ¡°Yeah. Still not sure of sneaking in the temple.¡± She said passing him the small stones. But Jhon only took the pebbles and smiled at her. 4 Stacks Emma stomped hastily in the night¡¯s cold heading in the Temple¡¯s general direction. ¡°Left paid three months of rent ahead, take care. With love Nicole¡± ¡°A single line note!¡± she grumped clenching her fists. While it was true that she wasn¡¯t the best of all roommates Emma didn¡¯t thought that her friend would leave so suddenly. ¡°I know she¡¯s been saying her boyfriend wanted her to move with him but at least she could have said good bye!¡± She complained turning in a corner to get into a dark alley. ¡°Stupid Max! Stupid aristocrats with their stupid expectations!¡± She got out of the alley and ended her rambling as the Temple appeared on her sight. Well, to say it was the Temple was a stretch when she purposely got to the back of the building. ¡°Hmph! Classic from the high ones. Pristine front but a full of trash backyard! At least that brat didn¡¯t lie when he said he knew how to get here. I guess those five pebbles were well spent.¡± She mumbled trying to figure how to climb the wall. Half a round, an old wood box and a broken chair later Emma was gasping for air while laying on top of the wall. But it was all worth it because in front of her was a small garden in which a petite pink haired girl played with sticks besides a pond. ¡°Oi girl!¡± she called at the girl ¡°Come here! There is only a sixth of round until their night rites end!¡± The girl turned and smiled when she saw Emma resting on the wall. She threw the sticks away and ran at her waving happily. ¡°Did you brought it?¡± She asked earnestly ¡°Jimmy said you would! The old ones don¡¯t let me have anything good!¡± The lass complained when she got close. How had the little scoundrel found that Temple¡¯s next maiden played at the buildings back garden when the priests practiced their night rites? Emma had her fair amount of suspicions. How had he gained the girl¡¯s trust? It was a complete mystery. However; the only thing she cared about was that he had told her how to get there and that with a small bribe the girl would tell her everything she knew about the so called Ghost Priest. ¡°Here!¡± Emma said passing the lass a paper bag. ¡°Now tell me what you know girl!¡± ¡°I¡¯m Wendy!¡± the girl pouted opening the bag but it was quickly replaced with a smile when she saw the contents. To Emma¡¯s dismay, instead of replying Wendy reached inside the bag for a cookie and munched it immediately. ¡°Oi! Lass!¡± ¡°Mmm?¡± *chomp chomp* ¡°The priest! How was it like? I¡¯ll give you this when you tell me everything!¡± Emma said showing the girl a small vase. ¡°What is that?¡± Wendy asked stopping for a moment before taking another cookie. ¡°Honey¡± Emma whispered with a wicked smile ¡°!!!... what do you want to know?!¡± ¡°The Ghost Priest! What do you know about him?¡± ¡°And you will give me the honey?¡± The girl asked squinting her eyes. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wendy smiled again ¡°He was weird!¡± she said and looked at Emma expectantly ¡°What else? How did he looked? How did you find him?¡± ¡°Mmm, I was playing and heard noises in uncle¡¯s Tom study so I went to check. At first I was really scared because he was big and looked mean all dressed in black! Even his face was covered in black clothes with some strange glasses and had this big metal thing!¡± Wendy trembled remembering the encounter. ¡°And what was he doing? Did you talked to him?¡± ¡°He told me not to scream and said that if I was a good girl and said where all the yellow and gray metal was hidden he would give me a gift¡± ¡°The gold and the silver? And you told him?¡± ¡°Yes! He took all the metal my uncle had. Even the one he used to decorate the stones. My uncle was really angry when he saw the stones were gone but it was better when he saw it were only the ones with metal¡± she said with teary eyes. ¡°He took the metal and the stones. What else?¡± ¡°He said I was really a good girl and told me to close my eyes and stretch my hand for the gift and I did it.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°He put it in my hand and made me count to ten. He said that if I opened my eyes before finishing he would get really angry and would take my gift away so I counted with my eyes closed.¡± ¡°And when you finished?¡± ¡°He was gone. And I had this¡± Wendy said rising her left hand. Around her wrist was a delicate bracelet with tiny pink jewels of different shapes. Emma gasped unwittingly at the exquisite finished of the gems. ¡°I- I can¡¯t give it to you! Uncle Tom said it was a secret! You won¡¯t tell them won¡¯t you? They will punish me if you do!¡± cried desperately Wendy ¡°N-no, of course not! Perhaps do you know what those do?¡± ¡°Really?¡± She sighed a little more clamed now ¡°I put mana in it and they help me heal people! Will you give me the honey now?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Sure kid. Just don¡¯t show that to anyone else without your uncle¡¯s permission okay?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Wendy nodded earnestly staring at Emma with her pink eye wide. ¡°Here¡± Emma said giving Wendy the honey pot. ¡°Keep our meeting secret okay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Wendy answered looking once again at the cookies. ¡®It was true!¡¯ Emma thought while she walked away in the night. ¡®This is ridiculous! Why would a thief able to get in and out of a warded studio without leaving a trace leave stones and gems behind to steal chunks of metal only useful for decorations? It must be the most stupid thief in all Highstone!¡¯ She sighed inwardly walking to her home. --------------------------The next morning in another place¡­ With a big pair of eye bags Daniel walked back while whistling a happy tune thinking about his new business partner. The first reason was that the old man did not ask a single thing about the gold and silver he wanted to sell him and the second one was that the price he paid for the goods went above the one offered by any of the pawnshops he visited by a fair amount. Five hundred dollars in cash totally justified the night he spend without sleeping. While Daniel still thought it was little reckless on his part to strike so many consecutive times in the same area, he also had to consider the circumstances which drove him forward and truth be told, said circumstances were pressing him enough to justify his increasing boldness. He remembered the first time he used a door to steal something, it was only a small hairpin and he almost got himself caught. Since then he practiced daily learning slowly which areas gave more profit and which ones were dangerous. Only once he had been seen and the look that the scared girl gave him made him feel so close to shit that he stopped his activities for a while. Not that it lasted much of course; the fists of the leader¡¯s men quickly shook his conscience out of him and now the measures they took as insurance were more than enough to keep him really motivated. But today the money he collected was a lot more than expected so he could relax a little, just a little and afford himself to get some coffee. He entered the local coffee shop and walked to the counter to make his order. ¡°Good morning sir! What will you want to drink?¡± A boy with a face full of pimples received him smiling. ¡°Make it an espresso; mm, a large one. I¡¯ll need it to stay awake today.¡±*yawn* ¡°Yes sir! Your order will be ready soon! What name should we call for?¡± ¡°Daniel.¡± Daniel paid for the coffee and roamed to the only empty table in a corner to enjoy the strong scent of coffee inside the small local. Around him some small groups of teenagers chatted happily while others leeched wi-fi looking as gloomy as possible with a music that was closer to noise as background. ¡®Hmph; there should be a better store to get coffee from.¡¯ He thought while drumming off beat his fingers against the table. ¡°Daneel! Spresso for Daneel!¡± Soon enough a voice called him so he got closer to exchange his ticket for the coffee glass with girl wearing an apron with the store colors. ¡°Please enjoy it sir! Good day!¡± She said with a melodious voice. ¡°Thanks¡± he answered while taking the coffee with a twitching eye. On the side of the paper glass was clearly written in big words ¡®dan-yell¡¯ He walked out of the store while drinking the hot coffee and got lost in his thoughts until a hand landed heavily on his shoulder. ¡°Well hello there mister star. The leader has been missing you for a while now.¡± An acute voice called him and he turned back angrily. ¡°Jan, Phil; don¡¯t you guys have someone else to annoy in another place?¡± ¡°Now now. You are going to make Phil cry¡± Jan said spreading his hands. ¡°We are very busy these days and had to make a special time to remind you to pay in time hehe¡± ¡°This month is already paid! Now fuck off!¡± ¡°No, no no. You paid the boss his quote but you did not pay ours you see. Phil and I are in charge to get your sister her food and she eats so much, right Phil?¡± Phil shrugged shaking his head with his eyes closed and a thin smirk. ¡°How much?¡± Daniel asked grinding his teeth. ¡°How much? Hehe. Take out your wallet.¡± ¡°Bastard, if you ever touch her not even Ronald will save you¡± he said passing Jan his wallet. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we will keep her well-fed hehe.¡± And he took out everything inside. ¡°Ive gotta say star. Your contributions disappoint me. But what can I do? I am a man of my word right Phil?¡± And Phil nodded serious. ¡°Catch!¡± Jan threw him his wallet back ¡°Enjoy your coffee star he he he¡± Daniel saw them walk away and took a gulp of coffee. It was cold now and didn¡¯t taste good. ¡®Hmph! at least I only put twenty in the wallet¡¯ he thought smiling and drank a little bit sweeter gulp of coffee as he restarted his way to his apartment. ¡®Just hold a little bit more Mary. I¡¯ll soon save you!¡¯ 5 Contract Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°Emaaaaa!¡± ¡°Mm? What the..? Uuugh¡± Emma rolled lazily on her bed and opened her eyes. A blurry vision of her room lighted by the noon¡¯s light appeared accompanied by a painful sting in her head. But the noises continued restlessly. Bang! Bang! Bang! ¡°OOOOOIIIiii¡± ¡°Nicole? Agg...¡± ¡°Emaaaaa!¡± Bang! Bang! ¡°I¡¯m coming! Just stop hitting the dammed door already!¡± She sat on the corner of her bed rubbing her eyes and kicked around the floor until she found her boots. Putting them on Emma looked at herself and realized she had slept with her clothes on. ¡°Well; at least I don¡¯t have to take them off to get dressed.¡± She sighed at the throbbing headache and stood up while hiding from the sunlight. ¡°I swear this is the last time I drink the crap Jhon gifts in that fucking bar!¡± Emma mumbled When she got closer to the door she heard Nicole talking happy. ¡°I knew you were here! Hurry and open! I got you a job!¡± ¡°How comes you leave me for the scoundrel and come back the next day asking me to work?¡± Complained Emma as she opened the door. ¡°Iuk! What is HE doing here?!¡± When she opened the door Nicole was waiting for her with a big basket but besides her was standing her boyfriend looking at Emma as if he had just eaten a fly. ¡°This scoundrel, is the one giving you a job.¡± Answered Max with a sneer. ¡°Calm down Em; let¡¯s just get in and talk about it yes? Come on, do it for me please?¡± Begged Nicole. Emma glared at Nicole but after thinking for a moment she moved from the doorframe and let her and Max inside. ¡°I¡¯m just doing this because Nicole and I should at least talk. So don¡¯t any ideas about your job Mr. Perfect¡± ¡°Do what you want. It¡¯s not like my family is lacking in mercenaries anyway.¡± Max said snorting. ¡°You haven¡¯t had breakfast yet right? Here, let¡¯s eat while we talk¡± Said Nicole putting the basket on the table. ¡°You left me yesterday without saying goodbye. A breakfast is not going to fix it.¡± Said Emma squinting her eyes. ¡°But is a start okay? You know I had to go. It were three whole months! Waiting for you to get out and start working again!¡± ¡°Hmph! You could have at least waited for me before running away! I even brought food to celebrate! Why would you just leave like that?¡± ¡°Come on Em, we both know you wouldn¡¯t have left me go.¡± ¡°I would. If you really wanted I would let you. Just not with him!¡± Emma said and glared at Max again. ¡°She is way better with me than trapped in this hole. Nicole have talents that are wasted in this place.¡± ¡°What do you know about it?! The only thing your kind cares is about power! We were building a better place for the people here!¡± ¡°Stop fighting okay! This is important for me!¡± Said a finally angry Nicole. ¡°Hmph!¡± sounded at the same time Max and Emma. ¡°See! You agree at something! Come! Eat before it gets colder.¡± They ate bread with jam and cheese pieces, staring angrily at each other while Nicole threw occasional apologetic glances at both of them. When they finished an awkward silence reigned for a few moments before Emma took the initiative to speak again. ¡°What was that thing you said about a job?¡± she asked Nicole. ¡°It¡¯s about a thief. Last night various vaults got robbed and no one seems to know who did it or how. The only clear thing is the pattern. The thief specifically took ceremonial stones.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°The ones for the princess coming of age¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± asked Max. ¡°I got my sources.¡± said Emma smugly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who told her. What we need is to know if she has a clue or something that can help. A lot of nobles are ranting and some of them are planning a council already¡± said Nicole. ¡°Serve them right. They only care when it hits their pockets.¡± ¡°Unlike you, we have things to solve that matter a lot more than your villagers troubles. Don¡¯t blame us for not solving everything around.¡± Answered Max angry. ¡°Besides; the stones are not the main here. What is important is the message.¡± ¡°Message?¡± Emma asked confused. ¡°You said it already Em. The stones were all for the ceremony so when they get stolen and every other valuable is left behind it shows a clear opposition to the princess party.¡± Explained Nicole. ¡°And also implies one of her older siblings has a thief able to bypass every security measure in kingdom¡± Completed Max. ¡°Haha¡­ That won¡¯t do guys¡± Emma shook her head ¡°You are making a lot of assumptions there¡± ¡°Assumptions that make sense!¡± Max said ¡°Baseless ones. And even mistaken for what I know.¡± ¡°Why? What do you know?¡± Asked Nicole ¡°I¡¯m already chasing him. And got the idea of what he is doing. But if your nobles want help they will have to give concessions.¡± ¡°Concessions?! You haven¡¯t started and already are asking for payment?!¡± Max snapped. ¡°I only charge when the job gets done dumbass! But yes. If you want help you will have to guarantee with a contract my demands.¡± ¡°Please Max. She can help. I know it. Let her say what she want and if you don¡¯t agree I won¡¯t insist anymore¡± Max who was glaring at Emma stopped for a moment and saw Nicole sending him an expectant look. ¡°Hmph. What do you want then?¡± ¡°Just three things. First. You will pay for every work expense plus three medium grade stones. Which considering the importance of the job is a really cheap price.¡± Max didn¡¯t say anything but nodded indicating he agreed with the first term so she continued. ¡°Second. I want the information pertinent to the case. And I mean everything. Don¡¯t want to have complaints about things I didn¡¯t knew existed were stolen or breaches in the security that were not covered.¡± ¡°That can be arranged. You will have to be bound with a confidentiality agreement as the minimum requirement but we get you the access you need this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ok with the agreement. The third however is the most important point. I won¡¯t back on this.¡± Emma said looking at Max with a straight face. ¡°When, and I don¡¯t say if because I plan to succeed, we manage to caught the thief I want him. The costs to bind him will also be covered by your people.¡± ¡°That is not something I can decide on my own.¡± Said Max rising an eyebrow. ¡°I can wait; go ask your daddy what he thinks¡± And she smiled at Max for the first time in the day. ¡°It¡¯s not my stone the one getting stolen hahaha¡± ¡°Hmph! You should be grateful to Nicole; were not for her and your kind would never have a call in something of this level.¡± ¡°You guys calling for help was just a matter of time. And Nicole will always be my friend regardless of her poor taste in men. Someone like you will never understand it.¡± Suddenly the sunlight filtering through the window wasn¡¯t so annoying.