《City of Night》


 Enter: The City of Night

    There once was a city in a kingdom in the North. There, the rich lived on cushions of gold and velvet, protected by bejeweled walls in the central district. Meanwhile, the poor scrounged for scraps and fought with pocket knives for bread in the outer edges of the city. The rich looked out of their glass towers like sharks, pointing at the poor far below and devising new ways to trick them into fighting each other instead of coming for noble riches. They sent guards to keep order, punishing any street rat who tried to step above their station. They pinned the blame of disease, poverty, and violence on witches, forcing the remaining few of them into hiding and creating new avenues of pointless hatred. The poor, too mired in violence, hate, and desperation, could not see that it was the nobles who had pushed them away from riches and safety and forced them to the outer streets.


    Underground, there gathered gangs¨Cgroups of street people aiming to protect their own. Among the undergrounders, there ran a person like fire: a street rat with dirty blond hair and dark blue eyes. They had no gender, and those passing wondered if they were laying eyes on a pretty man or a handsome woman, when truly they were neither. They were a thief, a rascal, and a forever-loyal friend.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    In the shadows, there hid the witches¨Cmagicians hunted by the nobles for their fearsome powers and shunned by the poor through noble puppeteering. Among the witches there stood a woman like ice: a chemist with a cold glare and a short fuse, scaring away any who dared to get too close. She was a studious worker, a dangerous opponent, and a ticking bomb, who cared for very few things in this life besides the safety of those she loved.


    A thief and a witch in a city built to destroy them.


    Can they survive?


    Or better yet, live?

 Chapter 2: Crystalline Extract

    Em stole through the market.


    They were on their way from a construction gig over at Lord Braden¡¯s ugly new hurling stadium to swing by Ao¡¯s pond for a little break. As usual, they made sure to pass through the Fifth Street Market on the way. And boy, did they get a good little haul today. Nothing to puff out their chest and brag about to Fin or the others, but pretty damn satisfactory if they did say so themself.


    First, they easily managed to slip a couple of sourdough buns from that new chain bakery stand, Lord Glimzo¡¯s or something, on the corner of Fifth and Saxon Street¨Cthe one the son of some noble started up with a ¡°generous fund¡± from his pops. The buns were as fresh as a summer breeze, hot and crispy on the outside, soft once Em bit down through the shells. Delicious. Like most street folk involved with the underground, Em couldn¡¯t stand when nobles started little chain businesses out on the streets to profit off street folk to cushion their coffers¡­But damn. That bread was good. It was almost infuriating.


    Then, they managed to swipe a handful of knock-off emerald necklaces from the scam jewelry stand between Emmett Roost¡¯s Bakery and that weird apothecary, Moonlight Herbs or Medicines or something like that at Fifth and Hurls. They had the necklaces in their pockets right now, all jingling around. You could tell they were fake because they made clinking noises. Clink, clink. Real gems would make little tapping sounds, like bird beaks on glass or something daintier. Much less cheap-sounding. You know, thought Em, they could probably sell these marked up ten times underground to some moron from the Second Street Kelpies. Those idiots were always scrambling for jewels to wear, fake or real. It was laughable. And disgusting. Disgusting, that an underground gang in the Outer City would try to appeal to nobility for protection by wearing shiny shit. Though, Em wasn¡¯t alone in their anti-Kelpie sentiment. No undergrounder liked the Kelpies, those pompous traitors.


    Em was cursing the Second Street Kelpies internally when they heard the greasy, nasally voice of a definite scammer calling out:


    ¡°Crystalline extract, imported from luxurious Kuagong in the Far East! Buy it now, or never!¡±


    Em rolled their eyes, slowing down to give the scammer a scathing sideways look¨Cyep, the usual. Cheap imitation silk robes, a furry scarf, and false silver teeth. The look of a classic failed noble wannabe turned scammer to make a quick profit preying on their own people. And ¡°imported from luxurious Kuagaong¡±? Really? That meant it was 99% certain this ¡®crystal extract¡¯ or whatever was just dirty runoff from the Tzeyang river. Legally, you couldn¡¯t say it was imported from somewhere if it didn¡¯t at least come from that city-state. Legally, you also didn¡¯t have to say if a product was literal horse shit when advertising it. You could slap on an ¡°imported from heaven¡± label and sell dirty rainwater. It meant close to nothing. Em rolled their eyes and kept walking.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    As they passed, however, a young woman began talking to the silver-toothed scammer. Em slowed down to listen, picking up a wooden toy from a nearby stand as a cover.


    The woman¡¯s voice was nervous and small, almost getting lost in the bustling river of noise in the market: ¡°What does it do? Can it help me with red spots? See, I¡¯ve been trying everything, but they just won¡¯t go away¡­¡±


    ¡°Why, of course, madame!¡± The silvertooth scammer grinned, flashing the crystal vial in their hands. ¡°My Amazing Crystalline Extract can cure blemishes, hives, dark spots, oily and dry patches, and an imbalance of complexion¡­along with much more! I see you have some red spots budding, hmm? A pity, on an otherwise pretty face!¡±


    The young woman¡¯s face both brightened and fell at that compliment-insult. She raised a hand to her cheek, where slight red blemishes were popping up, clearly ashamed. Em felt bile rise in their throat. This was something the nobles and wannabe nobles had always had in common: making people feel shitty about themselves to drive them to spend money. Em placed the wooden toy back down and strutted over, hands in their pockets, in time to hear the woman stammer:


    ¡°How much for one vial? I¡¯ve brought a few gold pieces¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh my gods, what¡¯s your extract made of?¡± Em interjected. Their voice came out bubbly and overexcited, and anyone who didn¡¯t know them well might think they really cared about this Amazing Crystalline Extract. Naturally, the silvertooth scammer, being new on Fifth Street, hadn¡¯t seen Em before, and was susceptible to their mischief. Their eyes lit up. A new prospective customer! They flashed a blindingly ugly metal smile and tilted the vial between Em and the woman now.


    ¡°Oh, only the best of the best! The purest waters of Kuagong, distilled to a fine sheen of dew! Crushed pearl remnants, good for reducing irritation and bringing the glow of youth back to skin! Users say it is as if the tears of the goddess Aine are mixed this extract! I tell you, this kind of extract has been used by the Kuagong royal consorts for centuries to make their skin so pristine!¡±


    Em nodded along and crossed their arms, blue eyes wide in exaggerated awe. ¡°Really? Well, fuck me¨CI¡¯ll buy the whole stock!¡±


    The silvertooth scammer¡¯s eyebrows furrowed. They were clearly perplexed, casting a darting glance up and down Em¡¯s figure as though judging their scrappy collared shirt and worn leather pants. Em knew what they were thinking: Ugly, patchy street clothes, a scarred face no older than twenty, wandering like an underground thug with a warped wooden club hanging from their belt. Where the hell would this kid get the money to buy my whole stock?!


    Smugly, Em leaned forward, winking.

 Chapter 3: Ill Take it All!

    Smugly, Em leaned forward, winking. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of the Second Street Kelpies, haven¡¯t you? The richest gang in all of Hibernia?¡±


    The silvertooth scammer nodded hesitantly, eyeing Em¡¯s short and tousled golden hair, then squinting at their twisted club again with a hint of nervousness. The Kelpies might be known for their noble pandering and stacked coffers, but they were also known for being particularly wanton with beating up streetfolk. Good. The scammer was afraid now.


    ¡°Well¡­I¡¯m not just a member of the Kelpies. I¡¯m their damn treasurer,¡± Em gloated, pulling a few shining nuggets of gold from their pocket and waving them under the scammer¡¯s nose. ¡°And I¡¯m not lacking in extra funds.¡±


    The silvertooth scammer¡¯s eyes widened, their nervousness dissipating. Em could see the greasy cogs turning in their mind: Money. Surely a LOT of it, if this kid really is the treasure of the Kelpies! But¡­how can I be sure¡­


    Face much more friendly now, the scammer waved Em over to their cart of over expensive crystal vials and glass powder cases. ¡°Good madame!...Sir?¡± The scammer tripped over their words, looking Em up and down confusedly. Fuck, I¡¯ve fucked it all up! Em could nearly hear their thoughts.


    ¡°Address me as ¡®good superior¡¯,¡± Em winked. Internally, they cringed at the confused addresses and the use of ¡®madame¡¯, but it wasn¡¯t as if they weren¡¯t prepared. This happened on the daily.


    The scammer coughed, evidently a little miffed by the confident demand to be called ¡®superior¡¯, but complied anyway with a blinding, greasy silver smile. ¡±Yes! My good superior! Here is my entire stock of imported products of the highest quality from Kuagong. Whitening powders, blemish reduction, wrinkle invisibility paste, everything a young superior like you could ever want!¡±


    Em raised their eyebrows dramatically. ¡°Well, fuck me again¨CI¡¯ll take it all! The¨Cwhat is it? Crystal eyes extract? And the powder, and the blemish stuff, and the wrinkle paste! What price are we talking for all of it, brother?¡±


    The scammer¡¯s eyes lit up with an oily fire, and their smile split into a grin. ¡°Seeing as it¡¯s a limited stock, I would be able to give it all to you for¡­let us say, one hundred gold only¨Ca steal of the highest order! Normally, this entire stock would sell for something of a one thousand gold value! I¡¯m sure that for the treasurer of the renowned Second Street Kelpies, it would be no problem to carry one hundred gold in your pocket, no?¡± The silvertooth scammer¡¯s smile had turned slightly pointed, and their eyes probing. They were both testing and trying to milk Em for money. If they really were the treasurer of the Kelpies, it was true that they should be carrying a hundred gold¨Cmore like a thousand gold, really, in the combined value of jewelry, coin, and other useless noble wannabe trinkets. By asking for one hundred gold, this damn shark was both trying to suss out whether or not this street kid was really a rich treasurer, and trying to milk them if it was true! Em internally gritted their teeth. Externally, they winked, shrugging.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re underselling yourself. How about a hundred fifty and we¡¯ll call it even?¡±


    The scammer¡¯s eyes widened. First they lit up again like two greasy oil lamps, then darkened into suspicious lakes, then lit up again. Em knew what they were thinking: Even more gold? Ha! What a loser¡­But isn¡¯t it strange that they¡¯re bargaining UP? Are they really so stupid and stubborn? Hmm¡­Perhaps they are¡­There are many stubborn and stupid people on the streets, after all¡­Yes¡­In the end, they clapped their hands together and flashed Em a metal grin. ¡°Even, then! Will you be paying in coin or jewels?¡±


    Em grinned in return, casting a sideways wink at the young woman who was still standing nearby, clutching her small coin purse and watching the interaction with a quiet desperation. ¡°Pure gold!¡± With that, they dug their hand deep into one of the many pockets of their worn leather pants and pulled out nuggets upon nuggets of sparkling gold, tossing them at the scammer¡¯s feet. The scammer¡¯s eyes went wide¨Ceach of these nuggets had to be worth ten gold coins at least, sizewise! One, two, five, ten, twenty¨Cthat had to be over fifty nuggets! Five hundred gold pieces? Unbelievable! But as all street folk know, don¡¯t question generosity when it¡¯s poured down on you. The scammer scrambled to pick up the nuggets, practically drooling.


    Meanwhile, Em swaggered over to their cart and picked up a couple of each cheap cosmetic product¨Ca few crystal vials, some white powders, little paste capsules. They handed them to the young woman standing nearby with a wink.


    ¡°Take them,¡± Em muttered. ¡°But don¡¯t expect anything good. Any don¡¯t stop for these kinds of things any more. They¡¯re scams, nothing¡¯s really special about them. Your face looks stunning with those natural red spots, trust me.¡± They punctuated those last words with another charming wink. The young woman blushed slightly, staring at Em and holding the products in half-confused flusterment. Meanwhile, the scammer, too busy picking gold nuggets off the ground, had failed to hear Em¡¯s words.


    Em stepped over the scammer casually and drew out a pack of matches from their pocket. They lit one and held it up, watching the flame burn for a moment. It reflected in their dark blue eyes, trembling. Then, they tossed it onto the cart. It was like magic. In mere moments, the cart was consumed in smoke and fire, vials melting and cases cracking under the heat.

 Chapter 4: Excuse Me?

    The scammer leapt to their feet, shocked, spluttering, and dropping gold nuggets all over the place. In response, Em winked, gave them a cheeky two-finger salute, and strolled away without another word, leaving a raging fire, a stuttering silvertooth scammer, and a street full of people screaming at the fire behind them. On the ground, the golden nuggets began to unfurl and crawl away. All along, they had been painted stone-shelled snails. The scammer screamed in rage. Fire and smoke rose, screams echoed, and snails slimily slunk along. A scene of complete and utter chaos. It was to be expected, considering who was walking away from it.


    Of course, it didn¡¯t take long at all for some to call the policing guards on the blond kid with scrappy clothes and a club hanging from their belt who¡¯d just publicly destroyed personal property and committed major fraud. Which meant that Em spent the next ten minutes skidding down alleyways and climbing up rooftops to avoid the watchful eyes of the noble¡¯s justice thugs.


    For some reason, the policing guards were oddly persistent today. Had Em been committing street fraud too often, lately? Maybe that was it. There was probably a high warrant out for their arrest today. Whatever¨Cit would be gone in a week as always, lost to the records of rampant street theft and violence. Still, for today, they¡¯d need to lie low. After about fifteen minutes of jumping roof to roof to try and throw the guards, Em stole sideways into a little shop off Fifth and Hurls, crouching down beneath the window and peering out with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Fucking delinquent¡­¡± One of the guards¡¯ voices carried muffled through the window as he passed. Em rolled their eyes. It took every ounce of their self control to not stick their head out the window and retort with ¡°I can¡¯t take you seriously when you¡¯re both bald AND wearing that ugly blue uniform, prick!¡± Thankfully, they managed to hold back (just barely), and the guards moved on down the street.


    Em sighed in relief. Whew. That had been cutting it a little too close. They frowned in thought, dark eyebrows furrowing. Had they stolen from anyone particularly high-up recently? That would easily result in a higher bounty¡­Hmmm. Maybe last week? They had vandalized a middle-end jewel bartering shop near Third Street¡­That might have been it. The closer you got to the Inner City, the more policing guards there were, and the more nobles were out and about. Someone with real money could have reported them¡­If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Em jumped¨Cand promptly bashed their head on the base of the windowsill, nearly cracking the wood in half.


    ¡°Shit! Fuck!¡± They grunted, holding their head and tumbling onto the ground in a ball. They looked up, vision blurring, to see a feminine figure dressed in all violet standing over them. Even with their blurry vision, they could see two dark, red eyes peering down at them disdainfully.


    Glaring slightly down at them was a tall young woman, perhaps in her early twenties. Her dark lips were curled into a slight scowl of annoyance, and her thin arms were crossed over her equally thin chest. When she spoke, her voice was cold and uninterested:


    ¡°Are you going to purchase anything?¡±


    Em rubbed their eyes a few times, and the woman standing over them came into focus: tall, thin, and with thick, lavender hair braided all the way past her waist. Deep brown skin and those strange red eyes. The woman¡¯s face was harsh, but Em couldn¡¯t help but blush. Damn. Beautiful and cold. Not really Em¡¯s type¡­at least, they wouldn¡¯t have thought so. The butterflies in their stomach said differently.


    Meanwhile, the woman looked disdainfully down on Em, failing to notice the blush in their cheeks. What she saw was a scrappily-clothed scrawny-looking street rat¨Ctwenty years old, maybe, littered with scars and bruises from fights. Androgynous. Slightly dirty. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and shoo the street rat out, instead waiting impatiently for a response.


    ¡°U-Um¡­Hey,¡± said the street rat, running a hand through their flaxen-blonde hair and grinning.


    The woman quirked an eyebrow, unimpressed. ¡°Hello. Are you going to purchase something?¡±