The Advetures Of The Traveling Circus

Vixen Sorrow

Nalud, a city of hope, of possibilities, where dreams come true, this may have been true many years ago but now it was far from that. A coup by a group of high class criminals some years ago was the start on the path to ruin for Nalud. The city's fair and just high lord, Astro Occult was taken by the group and executed. The group then took complete control of the city and since then chaos has run amok in the city, unchecked and uncontrolled. In the last few years with the rise of crime the number of urchins living on the city's streets. Often this was the cause of people being kicked out of their homes due to being unable to keep up with tax payments. The majority of urchins however was orphans who had lost their parents. One such case was Vixen Sorrow, aged only seven he'd watched his parents burn to death in their home. Being Tieflings, people had feared of them being demon spawn and decided to test this with flames. Fleeing from the flames Vixen ran through the streets until he was safely hidden in the sewers. Over the years he had learnt to survive and had thrived in the city, living on the streets. He knew not only the exact layout of the streets but also the best places to steal things, those places where things would not be missed. For ten years, he lived like this on the streets until one day, everything changed. He was taking a walk through the central market looking for someone to pickpocket for money or for a stall from which he could easily steal from. After wandering for a bit, he gave up for although he was a skilled thief there were a few guards roaming around that day and he didn't fancy being caught. He sat himself down near where a busker was standing a playing a lyre. The Halfling wasn't very good at playing however he had spirit, Vixen respected that. Vixen sat there for about an hour listening it the jumbled sound of the lyre and watching the world scurry around before him. He glanced towards the busker as he had stopped playing and saw that the Halfling was packing up. Averting his attention, he looked at a stall which was selling fresh bread, the smell was drifting to where he was and it was enough to make him drool. A tap on his shoulder from behind startled him and in response he drew his small knife from his belt and swivelled around. The sight he saw though was not one which needed to be met with aggression. The Halfling who had been busking was standing there with a few coins in his hand. "Here, buy yourself some bread, a saw you look at it," he said kindly. Vixen sat there for a moment, he had been watching the busker for the last hour and he had not made much in the duration, he couldn't have much money himself so why offer what little he had to a stranger. Apprehensively Vixen took the money and with it he went to stall and bought himself a loaf. Hungrily he tore at it, wolfing it down piece by piece. He noticed the strange Halfling who was watching him eat and that he had eaten most of the loaf. Feeling guilty he approached the Halfling and gave what was left of the loaf to him. "Thank you!" the Halfling said, "This must be a good loaf if you enjoyed it so much," Vixen smiled before settling down to watch the Halfling eat the loaf. Once the Halfling had finished he spoke up again, "my name is Lewis, Lewis Wood the Second of his name at your service, and what might yours be?". Vixen was used to being wary of strangers however this one seemed harmless enough.

"Vixen Sorrow," he said brashly before going quiet again.

"Well then Vixen! I have a proposition for you, I'm gonna be in town for a couple of days and I could do with someone to show me around this place, I'd pay you of course and pay for your lodgings in inns. What do you say?"

"I guess I could if you really wanted,"

"Ah good after all I've heard these streets can be aa mean rough place, first though shall we return to my inn? The day is getting on and soon it will be dusk"

He rose and Vixen followed him to the inn at which the Halfling was staying.

About an hour later night had started to fall on the city and the duo had not yet reached the inn. Vixen, as someone who had grown up in the area began to worry, he knew how bad the area of the city they were in was, and he knew it was even worse under the cover of night. "I appear to have got us lost!" Lewis exclaimed, "I could of sworn we were going in the right direction,".

In a hushed tone Vixen responded, "I know where we are so I can lead you to the inn, what did you say it was called, the Crimson Crow?", Lewis nodded a response, "Good, now don't talk about being lost if someone overhears we're more likely to get mugged, or worse". Vixen hurried Lewis along in the right direction but before they could go much further, two thugs emerged from an alleyway to their right. They were a pair of half-orcs with ugly, bashed face, clearly both of them had been in a lot of fistfights. In their hands they each had a crude wooden club, banded with iron on the handles and with iron studs in at the other end. They both had a ragtag collection of remaining teeth in their mouth, which could be seen when they grinned and spoke to Lewis and Vixen, "Did one of yous say the was lost?" the first one said. Like an act the second one replied perfectly on time. "We can guide you to where you need to be for a price," the talking switched back to the first, "of cour it's the same prise as us not knockin you out righ here and takin all you hav,"

Lewis murmured something to Vixen quietly. "HEY WHAT YOU SAY!" the second half-orc yelled, "You'd better not be making fun of my brother's speech impeder-imped-imperer, um, speech problem,"

"I think it's more of a mental problem personally, now may we pass, I do have a guide," Lewis calmly said to the brutish half-orc in front of him. Engaged by this the second half-orc raised his club above his head a prepared to smash it down on Lewis' head. Before the half orc had time to do this however Lewis swiftly reached behind him and from his back he pulled a shining mace which had been wrapped and hidden in an oil cloth. Lewis swung at the attack with ferocity yet as he lunged the mace slipped out of his hand and hit him on the foot. Both of the thugs stopped for a second to process what had just happened and once they had processed it they burst out laughing in realisation. Their amusement didn't last long though. From their left flank something like a shadow leaped out at the from the side and plunged a dagger into the first one, who was bigger than the other one however balanced out as he was visibly much stupider than his brother. Being the stupid one of the two he naturally thought that it was some sort of phantom attacking from the dark. Freaking out he ran, dragging his brother with him. Out of the darkness from where the attack came from emerged Vixen. "That's that problem dealt with, now should we get you to your inn?" He murmured.

"Gosh that was fantastic, I might need to keep you around," Lewis exclaimed before hurrying after Vixen, after all he didn't want to encounter those thugs again. And it was after that dangerous counter that Vixen entered the service of Lewis Wood II.