The Golden Scarab: Prince of Thieves

Chapter 2: Xandra

"Child, leave now! You are no longer our son; you must leave!" a blurry man yelled with frustration.

"Why Abba? Why?"  A young boy replied, his eyes swelling with tears

 "You mustn't know. Now go! Go and never see us again!" the father yelled,

"Abba, please!"

Shaleemm awoke, yelling as his horse continued running across the desert. Shaleemm removed the veil from his eyes and rubbed them, sighing as he was beginning to get tired of having this dream. Sighing, he looked ahead to see their progress. To his non-surprise, Hasek could take them to Xandra overnight. The sun was shining bright as they approached the city. Xandra was a massive city within the southern regions of Albakhar. The buildings and temples stood higher than those built for kings and queens within the Tombs of Emperors nearby. It was the most diverse city on the planet. During the wars of Dhaakir, it was taken over by a foreign empire, and its culture would eventually split across multiple generations before finally being considered Albakharian. Shaleemm was always fond of visiting here, as it had his favorite foods and the most susceptible guards in all Albakhar. But any high official or one of high status doesn't take too kindly to strangers despite their diverse culture. Shaleemm called to Hasek to let her slow down as he approached the city gate. Traders and Nomads were conversing while their children played behind them, and there was even a Night Spirit locked in a cage next to them. Shaleemm was intrigued by this thing, as they were tough to capture and worth a lot of money. But his fascinations would have to wait, as Hasek promptly halted as two guards approached them. The guards wore long shade veils that covered their faces and necks, wore bronze chest plates and chainmail,  and both held iron spears and shields.

"Tihat," Shaleemm greeted.

"Tihat to you as well. My name is Apui (gestures to himself), and here is Tota (gestures to his left),"

"A pleasure to meet you," Shaleemm said, ensuring his veil covered most of his face.

"If you're looking to enter Xandra, you'll need to remove your veil," Tota asked.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, sirs," Shaleemm replied.

"And why's that?" Apui asked, his grip tightening on his spear.

"I highly value my privacy,"

"Is that supposed to be an excuse?" Tota asked, his grip tightening as he walked closer to Shaleemm and his horse.

Shaleemm then looked to the gate and saw several posters lined up, which all called for an arrest of a criminal, and most of them were for Shaleemm. His bounty was raised to five thousand messa, almost twice as much as before. Sighing, he got off his horse, which startled the two guards, causing them to raise their spears. 

"I bear no harm, just a deal," Shaleem said, reaching into his horse's bag and grabbing some of the silver coins.

"What tricks are you playing? Are you a mage looking for trouble?" Tota asked.

"Sir, if I were a mage, your pants would be filled with shit as we speak," Shaleemm replied.

Before Apui or Tota could respond, Shaleemm put his hand out and opened his palm, revealing ten silver coins in his hand. The two guards froze and stared at the money with glistening eyes. Shaleemm chuckled and curled a fist before looking back at them.

"Tell me, how much do you two make in a day?" he asked.

"A-about 15 bronze coins..." Tota murmured.

"Ah. Such a prosperous city, and yet very little pay for their security. Tell you what. I'll give you each five silver coins, each with the value of 10 bronze coins, and you two let me inside. Does that sound fair?" Shaleem asked.