Taking the guy back with us was less of a challenge then I expected. Vyth did most of the heavy lifting, while I made sure the guards didn’t notice us. The drug addict did wake up every now and then, but Vyth just put him back to sleep with the butt of his spear. We walked through the alleyways, avoiding the occasional passing guard or furious street cat. There seemed to be far less guards now. I guess they gave up on searching for us.

We arrived back at the smithy. We snuck back in through the back window, where Eidechse was waiting for us.

“Well, well, well. You’re back faster than I expected. And you brought the bastard with you”, he said.

“It’s what you wanted, right?”, I responded.

“I would’ve been fine with retrieving him myself as long as you tied him”.

“You never said that!”.

“Oh. I must’ve forgotten it…”.

He looked away and scratched his chin as he said that. Guess lying isn’t his strong suit.

“Well, anyway. We’ve completed our part of the deal. So, we’re even now”.

“Yeah”, he said as he grabbed something from one of the racks. I got on edge. ‘Is he going to kill us now that we’re of no use to him?’, I thought. He turned around with the same sword Vyth tried to steal. I got ready for a fight, holding out my hand to cast a spell.

“What are you doing?”, Eidechse asked.

“Yeah, you okay, Oth?”, Vyth added.

I slowly lowered my hand and calmed down.

“Anyway. This is for you, Vyth. A little reward for dealing with this shithead”.

“Really?! Thank you!”

Vyth was ecstatic. He looked at the sword with glee, before swinging it around in the air.

“You’re not too bad. You’d make a fine warrior. You two must be tired. There’s a guest room upstairs. It’s at the end of the corridor, on the left”.

“Thanks”, we said in unison.

The next day, we woke up to the smell of roasted chicken. Eidechse had made breakfast. Well, lunch. We each got a large plate filled with chicken and potatoes.

“Eat up!”, Eidechse said.

“Thanks!”, we said.

The food was delicious! Far better than what we had at the… nest. It reminded me a bit of home. I had almost forgotten what food tasted like in my old world. Compared to this it was heavenly, but I guess I’ll never get to taste it again. I tried to forget about it and just enjoy the food.

“So, where are you two heading to next?”, Eidechse asked.

“No idea”, Vyth answered, “We’re just kinda wandering around”.

He’s far too trusting for his own good.

“So you have nowhere to go back to?”.

“No, we don’t”, I answered, “Why do you ask?”

“Out of curiosity…”.

“Oh, yeah!”, Vyth interrupted, “The guy we brought you was hugging a box that had some blue powder in it. Do you know what it is?”.

He stayed quiet for a moment. Staring in front of him. You could practically see the gears turning in his head. He let out a chuckle.

“You’re smarter than you let on, kid”, he said while looking at me.

“Wha…?”.

“You knew what that powder was, right? That’s why you almost attacked me yesterday. Why you’re acting so cold, despite the meal I’ve given you being so warm”.

“Tell me. W-where is that guy we brought you?”.

“Don’t worry. He’s not dead”.

“What did you do then?”.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on!”, Vyth interjected.

“That powder we found was a drug. It's something people take that messes with their brains. It’s usually dangerous and illegal. Which means, he’s not a good person”.

“Really? But he gave us that sword and food. What’s so bad about him?”.

“It’s just flattery. He’s trying to get us to like him. All, so we’ll do more jobs for him. Isn’t that right?”.

“Eh. I was gonna propose a deal. But, I wasn’t trying to flatter you. I’m not that bad of a guy, you know. I’m a criminal, but not scum”.

“Well, what was your deal going to be?”.

“Simple. You can live here and we’ll pay you, if you work with us. You guys were able to sneak into the arrombado’s house. You seem like capable thieves, don’tcha think?”.

“We’ll do it!”, Vyth said confidently.

“Are you sure?”, I asked.

“It’s better than living in the woods again. Besides, we’ll be stealing from humans, so it’s fine”.

“Hahahaha. You really hate them, huh? Just don’t let it get to your head. You’ll walk down a nasty path if you do”, Eidechse said.