The Crimson Champion

Grelnar Side Story: The Thief That Stole Grelnar's Heart

(Author's Note: Give or take a few months, this Side Story takes place about 23 years before chapter 1 and it's about how Grelnar ended up with the famous Sonia Shaddori, from his point of view. I hope you enjoy!)

I walk through the streets of Kantiron, heading towards a specific building. "This guy's pretty rich, so I'll get plenty of coin from whatever he'd like me to do."

I arrive at the relatively large mansion and I knock. A butler opens the door and he smiles politely as he gestures for me to come in.

"You must be Master Grelnar, the traveling warrior Lord Cornelius wished to acquire the services of. Please, come in and take a seat while you wait!"

I nod and sit down on a chair in the lounge as I wait. I maneuver around to get comfortable and I mutter to myself. "Hmm...this chair is a little too fancy for my taste..."

The large center door on the other end of the room from the entrance opens and a tall, thin man with a mustache walks over to me, then I stand up and quickly stretch.

"Ah, it is good to see you, Grelnar!" Lord Cornelius Kantor holds out his hand and I shake it. After our handshake, he rubs his hand as if it hurts.

"You're definitely as strong as I've heard, so you should definitely be the right man for the job I have in mind." I look at him. "What's the job?"

Lord Cornelius smirks. "I want you to capture Sonia Shaddori. She's a thief that's stolen from nobles like myself for the past few years."

I think to myself: Ugh, another rich person problem. She probably just steals because she has to. I should see her side of the story before I try to capture her.

Lord Cornelius continues. "She is not an evil person, so try not to harm her. I just think some time in a prison will get her to learn her lesson. Do you accept the job?"

I nod. "Yeah." He grins. "Good!" Then, he hands me a nicely sized pouch of gold. "This is to bribe her to get closer to her, if you need to, and to cover any expenses you may have while trying to capture her. If any is left over after the job, you are free to keep it along with your payment. Once Sonia is arrested, you will receive the full payment on your return."

I turn and start to leave. “Got it.” Once the door closes behind me, I sigh. "I don't really want to do this, but you have to make a living somehow..." I walk towards the nearest inn to rest until nightfall.

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I wake up in my room in the middle of the night and I quietly leave the inn, then I walk through the streets to get to Lord Cornelius's mansion, thinking that it's a good place to start looking for Sonia.

I grunt as I climb the side of a house nearby the mansion, then I get onto the top and sit down to watch the roof of the mansion for any movement.

As I watch, I suddenly feel a missing weight from my back, so I immediately reach for my battleaxe, Goliath, but it's gone! I quickly stand up and turn around, but when I do, I see an incredibly beautiful woman with short dark blue hair, wearing black cloth armor, and holding Goliath. The woman, most likely Sonia, giggles.

"Hey big guy, you missing something?" She teasingly waves Goliath at me. I stare at her, half shocked, half in awe of her beauty. "I..." Sonia smirks. "Speechless, of course. That's why I'll always be undefeated!"

Sonia waves Goliath at me again and turns to leave. "This should sell nicely. See ya!" She sprints away. I quickly shake my head and try to follow, but she's already gone.