They left for the inn when the sun had already set, Nellie requesting them to return to her place again tomorrow to check on her, reminding them to prepare all their required supplies for the long trip north. They walked towards the southeast corner of the city, the street lamps that lined the walkways were glowing in a faint light, complimenting the sky which had been dyed in midnight blue. Some merchants were keeping up their wares and retiring for the day. There were less people on the streets now, but it was never quiet as the people start to fill up the inns and pubs, drinking and laughing into the night, some still wandering the streets suspiciously and others were picking verbal and physical fights with each other. Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah tried to avoid all the commotion and took a more secluded road back to the inn. It was a bad choice, as the people hanging out in these alleys looked dodgier and potentially more dangerous than the foolish ones who just wanted to flash their fists at each other but would never dare to cause havoc under the street lamps in the open. There was a young girl sitting against the wall while sharpening her knife, a man staring at them with his bloodshot eyes, an elderly woman begging for money, drawing too close for Hirei’s comfort as he ran ahead of the group to avoid her from touching him.

‘Ugh!’

Hirei ran right into a young man wearing a tan cloak, both of them falling backwards onto the sandy ground. The young man’s hood fell backwards to reveal a head of flaming, scarlet red hair tied lowly in a short ponytail and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

‘Sorry,’ said the young man shortly with a deep, cool voice as his face glittered in the night with his charming smile. He pushed his hood back up and ran off quickly before Hirei could say anything. The young man might have disappeared, but left behind a panting Penelope and Aalaiyah who were blushing madly, Cedric thought. But the man did not only leave something behind, he took something else as well.

‘That guy’s a thief!’ Hirei yelled furiously as he turned the way they came from, the young man in cloak had vanished. He moved backwards to rejoin the group when the elderly woman started to reach out her boney fingers towards him. ‘He took my money bad when I bumped into him!’

‘W-What? He’s a thief?’ Penelope gasped as she snapped back to reality, running forward to see Hirei emptying his pockets, the brown satchel she had entrusted to him that morning was no longer there. ‘Oh no… our money…’

‘But you guys only bumped into each other for a short moment!’ said Cedric in disbelieve. ‘It was so quick… Did you lose anything else?’

‘Just our money,’ said Hirei as he sighed heavily. ‘How could I lose it just like that? That thief, if I see his red head again I’ll let him taste my arrows!’

‘Relax, Hirei, none of us wanted it to happen, we can’t do anything about it now anyway,’ said Aalaiyah. ‘We’ll just have to be thankful that Penelope split the money, and we’ve just finished shopping too. At least it wasn’t too big of a lost as it could’ve been.’

They decided never to wander into dark alleys anymore, especially in Morroc. They scurried out of the area and rested peacefully in the inn, much safer and more comfortable than most of Morroc.

***

The next day, the four slept in late, the blazing Morrocan sun hanging at the highest point before they decided to roll out of bed for branch. They treated themselves to some Steamed Desert Scorpians near the bazaar after being convinced by the innkeeper, a scorpion dish of scorpion tails, nippers and meat cooked using the heat of the desert sands. It was not the first thing they would yearn for when they were hungry, but the cuisine turned out to be appetizing, the colours of the vegetables alongside the red scorpion meat and the strong spicy smell lured them to sink in their teeth. Eating it confirmed its status as one of the four best dishes in the Sograt Desert; sweet, bitter and spicy flavours melted in their mouths. It was even more a luxury alongside a bottle of Morroc Fruit Wine, a sweet and sour juice that was invented by a merchant from Morroc.

‘Aaaaaah! That’s what I call a feast,’ Hirei leaned back on his wooden chair, his hands behind his white spiky hair. ‘So, where are we headed after this?’

‘No idea,’ Cedric said, downing his cup of fruit wine, his insides cooled down at once from the heat. ‘We could walk around Morroc some more, or take a look at the Morroc Ruins.’

‘Would it be alright if I go north from Morroc to find someone?’ Penelope asked. ‘I heard from the Church that an ascetic is living there. I’d like to visit her.’

The four then left for the north exit of Morroc, avoiding the bustle of the bazaar at the centre of the city. Along the side streets of Morroc, there were many Dancers and Bards making a living by performing, dancing gracefully and singing with the rhythm of the music. Some of the passer-by requested for a song of their liking, some others offering tips by tossing zennies into a hat that lay on the ground.

‘Psst, over here,’ came a female whisper. Cedric felt a tap on his shoulders and turned around, finding himself face-to-face cloaked figure, a dark violet gleam shining from the person’s eyes under the hood.

‘What is it?’ asked Hirei as he scanned the girl with his little brown eyes. The girl laughed, stepping backwards and lowering her hood to reveal a long, dark hair tied in a side ponytail to the right.

‘Don’t worry, I mean no harm,’ she reassured them with a soft, shadowy voice. ‘I’ve been watching you guys for awhile, and I think I have something that might interest you.’

The elder, mysterious female extracted a worn out scroll from her cloak, bitten at its edges and was tied up neatly with a shabby red ribbon. ‘This here is a very old scroll I came across while venturing deep inside the Sphinx, guarded by a few Anubis and horrible booby traps I wouldn’t like to detail. I asked some Wizards to decipher this for me, they told me that it’s an ancient scroll that holds some secrets to the Heart of Ymir,’ she said, smiling as Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah reacted positively to her statement. ‘I know that the four of you are on a search for the Heart. Well, you’re in luck because I’m trying to find a new owner for this scroll, someone who would appreciate this more than I do. I just don’t have the time to chase after some mythical relic.’

‘So, you’re trying to sell this scroll to us?’ asked Cedric.

‘Ah… smart boy aren’t you? I need to make some money out of this too, don’t I. Can’t live on tattered scrolls and nose rings from the monsters underground. I’ll make you an offer, just 10,000 zeny,’ said the cloaked female, twirling the scroll between her fingers. ‘The Wizards are even paying me to read this, but I wouldn’t let them.’

‘It’s a good offer, but asking us to pay for something which we don’t know what the real contents are is irrelevant,’ said Penelope wisely. ‘We’ll pay you 5,000 zeny first, and if the scroll is genuine, we’ll pay you the other half.’

The cloaked female looked unconvinced. After giving it a little thought, her eyes rolling back and forth as if trying hard to maintain her coolness, she shrugged and replied. ‘Fine, it’s a deal then. I’ll tell you, it’s worth it.’

Penelope made a satisfied smile after successfully displaying her haggling skills once again, and Cedric turned to the others. ‘So, will we buy this?’

‘It’s worth a bet,’ Aalaiyah nodded in excitement. ‘If it turns out to be a scam, we demand a refund!’

The dark-haired female then stepped forward with her hands outstretched, one hand holding onto the scroll tightly and the other empty to collect the money. Penelope placed her hand into her pouch bag to search for their funds which was all stored away in her leather bag.

‘It’s gone…’ Penelope uttered slowly with her hands over her mouth, a fearful look in her eyes. ‘All our money is gone…’

‘W-What?’ Cedric exclaimed in shock, running forward to inspect Penelope’s pouch bag. Just as he approached Penelope, he tripped over what seemed to be nothing and fell face first onto the floor.

‘Oww!’ Cedric yelped as he bit his lip, biting some sand in the process. Somehow, he was not the only one who cried. Cedric found himself lying on top of a bundle of cloth.

‘Cedric! Are you alright?’ asked Penelope as she helped him up. She gasped in surprised when the bundle of cloth started to move. ‘You fell on top of someone!’

‘When did he get there?’ Hirei pondered aloud. A head of bright, scarlet hair pushed itself out of the bundle of cloth, its owner being a young man who was wearing a beach coloured jacket and a pair of dark pants. The young man sat upright and brushed his long red hair off his yellow eyes before massaging his arm with his hands. He remained seated on the ground, looking upwards to flash a charming smile at his onlookers.

‘Isn’t that our money bag?’ Aalaiyah pointed out, turning everyone’s attention to the leather money bag that lay by the unidentified male’s side. As she bent down to recover their money bag, the young man snatched it swiftly and leapt onto his feet.

‘Greetings, and I’m sorry young lady,’ the young man said coolly as he tossed the money bag in the air and grabbed it tightly in his fist. ‘This’ll be mine now.’

‘That moron! He’s a Thief!’ Hirei snapped angrily with his fingers waving threateningly at the man, bringing them to realize that he was wearing the outfit of the Thief’s Society. ‘And the same one from yesterday who stole my money!’

‘Oh Ace, can’t you just leave me alone?’ said the cloaked female in annoyance, dropping her air of mystery as her voice became harsh and loud, withdrawing her arms along with the scroll. ‘They were supposed to be my catch!’

‘Well, isn’t it nice to see you here, Jasmine. Small town,’ said the male Thief who seemed to be called Ace. ‘Since when did you put your name on their money? Besides, if it was the matter of stealing targets, you should rethink that statement, since they have met me before you offered them that scroll.’

‘They are acquainted?’ Cedric said as he slowly came to a realization of the situation, staring at the cloaked female with a hostile glare. ‘Then… you must be…’

Cedric could not continue his sentence, as the female known as Jasmine tossed the worn out scroll at his forehead, the scroll rolled open upon impact to release a burst of grey gas.

‘P-pepper gas!’ Cedric gagged and sneeze as the cloud of gas surrounded his face, drowning his eyes in tears which trickled down his cheeks. He choked, rubbing his eyes frantically with the back of his hand as his face started to burn in red, immediately wishing that he had a bottle of Morroc Fruit Wine stored in his rucksack.

‘Ace, we’re splitting that prize, 50-50!’ Jasmine yelled to her Thief friend while throwing her cloak at Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah, hindering their chase. When the cloak was thrown aside, they could see Ace running into a dark alley with Jasmine tailing behind him, also garbed in a beach coloured jacket and a pair of brown pants of a Thief. Without any questions or gestures, the four raced after the two Thieves to retrieve their lost possession.

‘Make way, make way!’ Hirei called out to the people in the alley, some dragging themselves sluggishly away from harm’s way and others did not budge at all, delaying them in their pursuit. ‘We can’t lose them!’

They raced as fast as their legs could take them, trying their best to keep the Thieves in view. Cedric visualized his brother running in front of him, just like how they would race to the old Swordsman Guild. He could only see his brother’s back, his cape fluttering behind him. Clenching his teeth and using that visualization as motivation, Cedric started to run faster than before, partly thanks to the supportive spells Penelope had cast on the whole party while they were still running down the streets. They ran out of the alley into the main streets of Morroc, catching up after Ace and Jasmine.

‘Decrease Agility!’ Penelope chanted with her Bible opened in her arms, her palms stretched forwards with a blinding light. She directed the energy towards the two Thieves, weighing them down upon contact and slowing down their movements. Cedric reached out his hand, drawing closer to tap his brother’s shoulders. Pulling out all the energy in his body, he sprinted forward and was standing in front of the Thieves’ way. Jasmine turned to Ace with an anxious look on her face, the latter responded by stopping in his tracks altogether when faced with the pincer attack, both his hands in his pocket.

‘Giving up now?’ asked Cedric as he cautiously took a step forward having surrounded the Thieves. ‘At least you’re wise enough to know when to stop.’

‘Never make assumptions too soon,’ said Ace he pulled out a small bag from his pocket and flung it in the air. ‘Sand Attack!’

An infinite amount of sand poured out of the small bag, much more than a merchant’s cart could even hold. Cedric staggered backwards, receiving the unexpected attack face on, the sand got into his face and eyes, effectively blinding and stunning him for the moment. The Thieves took this opportunity to flee.

‘I’m not gonna let you trick me again! We need that money for Al de Baran!’ Hirei yelled as he set nine fire arrows on his composite bow and pointed it to the cloudless sky. ‘Arrow Shower!’

A burst of energy pushed the arrows high into the air as he released the string of the bow. The fire arrows lined up neatly in front of the Thieves before bursting up into a wall of flames, obstructing their way.

‘Man, I can’t believe I took her move,’ Hirei mumbled as he ruffled his white hair. The Thieves tried to escape through a different way until they realized that a magic glyph was rotating around their feet – a target for a magician’s spell. All of them turned towards the Mage, a deep blue aura was bursting from her feet and wand which she raised in front of her, her brown hair fluttering in the mystical air.

‘Don’t try to escape now,’ Aalaiyah spoke softly, her eyes glaring with determination. ‘I won’t hesitate to unleash my cold bolts on the both of you.’

Ace sighed in a rather relaxed manner, his smile never fading from his face while he raised both his arms at shoulder height, their money bag in his fist. Jasmine did the opposite, crossing her arms and shuddering in aggravation. The money bag started glowing in an eerie aura before it levitated into the air by an invisible force and flew into Cedric’s hands. Aalaiyah took a deep breath as she lowered her wand and the magic circles a blue aura disappeared at once, feeling the strain from focusing her magic and using her telekinetic powers at the same time.

‘Ace, you owe me lunch tomorrow,’ said Jasmine angrily, eyebrows furrowed. ‘If you would’ve just stayed out of my plan, we wouldn’t have ended up like this! There, you’ve gotten all you stuff back now kids, happy?’

‘No, they haven’t,’ said Ace suddenly as he dug his hands into his jacket, taking out a familiar brown satchel and returning it to a confused Hirei. Hirei opened the satchel and started to run his fingers through all the zennies, confirming that none of their money was missing.

‘Uh… thanks,’ said Hirei with a stunned face, not sure if he understood what was the meaning of this.

‘Now, may I ask you a question?’ Ace spoke again, his face seem to be concentrated on a thought in his mind. ‘Are the four of you travelers, and are headed to Al de Baran after this?’

‘Hey, how’d you know that – oh… I mentioned it earlier didn’t I…’

‘Yeah, we’re traveling across Rune Midgard, and Al de Baran will be our next destination,’ Cedric replied. ‘We’re in search of –’

‘Ymir’s Heart, am I right?’ said Ace, finishing Cedric’s statement. ‘Jasmine and I have been spying on you. We know you’ve been seeing that researcher in the inn east of the bazaar.’

‘Yeah… way to break a Thief’s work to commoners who would never understand our way of living,’ Jasmine said boringly as she pursed her lips, tapping her fingers on her crossed arms.

‘But stealing is not a way of living!’ Penelope retorted. ‘Why don’t you both get a job and earn money the right way? You can correct yourselves from your old ways and repent!’

‘It’s different when you’re orphaned in Morroc. There are far too many of us and the society here is pretty much a mess, scientists and treasure hunters flocking to our city and occupying it from the locals. The only choice we have is to be a thief,’ explained Ace stiffly as he smiled bitterly, Cedric, Hirei, Penelope and Aalaiyah had a sudden sympathy for them. ‘In any case, I did not ask the question so that I could earn pity from you. It is my personal wish that I could change this fate of mine, and dispel this horrible impression the masses have of people like myself.’

‘What are you trying to imply, Ace?’ Jasmine stared at Ace in equal confusion as Hirei, having no idea what her friend was trying to achieve with his talk. Whatever it was, she did not like the way it sounds.

‘I’m trying to ask if, just if,’ Ace said, clearing his throat before he continued. ‘Could this mere Thief, Ace, join your party in your journey across the land?’

All of them were flabbergasted except for Ace, whose smile remained on his handsome face. Even with Hirei’s loud mouth and I-don’t-care-what-you-think attitude, it was not one of the foursome who made the biggest reaction.

‘Ace! What are you thinking?’ Jasmine bellowed as she yanked Ace by his shirt, their faces were only inches away from each other as she gritted her teeth. ‘We are the proud Thieves of the Thief Society, of Morroc! These pompous brats deserve to be robbed. First you messed up my plan, then you returned them the money you stole yesterday, and now you’re planning to leave Morroc and go journeying? What will you do next? Shave your red head bald and join the Monastery?’

‘I know fully well what I want to do, and I don’t have to answer to you,’ Ace answered calmly as he raised his chin fearlessly. ‘I want the people know that not all Thieves are ill-mannered and that we do have ambitions and hopes for our own future. I’ve always planned to leave Morroc, you just never knew.’

‘What a load of Willow leftovers!’ Jasmine jeered with disgust. ‘Even if you ran off, how positive are you that they would take a Thief into their party? Everyone knows that Thieves are like a Condor in a flock of Peco Pecos. Birds of different feathers don’t flock together, Ace!’

‘We’ll take him in,’ said Cedric, breaking the tension momentarily between Ace and Jasmine. He turned towards the others, who approved of Ace’s participation. Even Hirei, who did not like the idea of the Thief who once stole from them joining their party, was persuaded into an agreement. ‘There you go Ace, we accept your offer, under the terms that you would not steal from us and run after that.’

This sent Jasmine into a deeper rage, pushing Ace aside and pointing fiercely at all of them. ‘You… all of you… are crazy!’ she yelled, throwing her dark hair into a state of mess. She gave Ace a deadly glare, her violet eyes widening. ‘You disgusting scum. I never thought you’d be like this. Fine! Turn your back on the Thief Society! Your deed won’t go unknown, and don’t you ever try returning to Morroc! I’d like to see you try answering to your mistress! And don’t you even expect any help from me.’

‘Jasmine –’

‘Don’t you call me by that name!’ Jasmine barked back violently. ‘I am a proud Thief! You don’t deserve to call me by my codename! Heck, you shouldn’t even be carrying that stupid “Ace” name anymore! If it went my way, I would’ve banished you right this instance!’

Ace had his eyes closed shut, maintaining his calm demeanor. He wet his lips and took a deep breath before he started again. ‘Jill –’

‘Shut… up…’ Jasmine hissed venomously, her fist shaking badly. With one last glare at Ace and the foursome, she turned away and disappeared into the crowd.

‘What an ending eh?’ said Hirei in an awkward attempt to break the silence.

‘Thanks a lot for accepting my participation so swiftly,’ said Ace gratefully. ‘After all, we’ve only just met through a theft, with me being the robber.’

‘Same to you,’ Penelope laughed softly. ‘It’s not very surprising, after you who thieved from us returned our possessions.’

‘What made you suddenly so interested to join us?’ asked Aalaiyah. ‘Does it have to do with Al de Baran?’

‘I have my reasons,’ Ace smiled, obviously the type who would not kill and tell. ‘My thoughts and problems are insignificant for you to worry about. However, I will promise that I will not cause us any trouble, and that I will be a great asset as a Thief, not limited to my thieving skills.’

‘In any case,’ Cedric beamed happily, stretching out his hand. ‘Welcome to the –’

‘Not yet,’ said Ace as he raised a hand in the air, his yellow eyes wandering around, his mind still concentrated on a different thought. ‘Before we do anything else, there is someone I must see before I leave.’

‘There’s no need to go anywhere, Ace,’

---

Current Word Count: 28,050

Labels: NaNoMadness, The Eminent Guardians