One last quick peek around the corner, then Ril stood up from his crouched position, turned around and started jogging down that alleyway he had hid himself in.

“To the castle...” he muttered to himself, “Definitely to the castle...if they take the shortcut, old man Joe’s place? If not...must be before the park”

Now confident, he increased his pace, practically racing down narrow cobbled streets that ran parallel to the main road the three noble children were strutting down. Coming upon an intersection he stole right scanning the bases of the buildings until he spotted a pile of bricks leaning up against a wall, partially hidden down a damp alleyway.

Crossing the street, Ril grabbed the top two bricks in the pile. As he lifted the heavy stones, a veritable swarm of creepy-crawlies made a break for it as their moss covered home was stolen from them. Shuddering, Ril backed away to steps, trying vainly to shake any remaining bugs off of the improvised weapons that he found.

Jogging the last two streets towards old man Joe’s home, he sneaked a peak across to the main road and heard the nobles several streets back, still making their way from the celebration. Nodding to himself, Ril set one of the dirty red bricks down on the ground and began climbing the rickety ladder the old man Joe never seemed to fold up and store. Making it to the top, he tossed the brick onto the flat topped roof, and ran back down to collect the second brick.

By this point the loud voices of the three nobles could faintly be heard barely a street away.

“...does it hurt so much” came Sonith’s petulant voice

“It is because the Divine orb fuses with your entire body.” Godric replied “It has to in order to figure out how strong you are.”

“it didn't hurt me much.” Gom said proudly.

“ that's because you're built like a tank.” Godric replied with a chuckle “I'm betting that your constitution is your highest stat”.

“Ughh, yeah it‘s 16, how did you know?!” came Gom’s incredulous reply.

“Chrome forbid you have too many stats below 10, let me guess, intelligence and charisma”

“I, uh, well my charisma is 10 exactly so that’s good right?” Gom said nervously,

“What happens when too many of your stats are below 10?” interjected Sonith.

“Nothing,” shrugged Godric with a grin. “Just means you suck”

Heart pounding, pushed by the nearing voices Ril blasted up the ladder at record speed. Halfway up the rung supporting his right foot cracked. Legs scrambling, Ril recovered, placing both feet on a mostly unrotted part of the ladder. Hearing the voices approaching, Ril resumed his race, pausing briefly, then bunching up and jumping across the four foot gap onto the roof. Slipping on the wet stone, Ril picked up the first brick and scrambled towards the opposite corner of the roof.

“What is this Lion’s Roar thing” said Gom as he ambled down the cobbled road.

“Is it one of your abilities?”

“...maybe”

“If right above Lion’s Roar, there is the word ability, then it is one of your abilities” Godric replied with a sigh

“Oh”

“You should know instinctively how to activa-- Stop you dolt, not here”

Gom in the middle of pulling in a massive breath to let out a roar paused, choked a little and tripped, falling right on his face, covering the front of his beautiful silk robes with a patina of mud.

“It is impossible to know what an ability does. Always wait to be in a safe area to test out new skills” Godric said imperiously, as Sonith helped up the chagrined Gom to his feet.

“Let us take Dawlin’s Lane, it is faster and I am eager to be bonded with my orb.” Godric said as the group turned down the road that Ril was vigilantly standing over.

Crouching in a puddle, pants already mostly soaked, a nasty smile gracing his visage, Ril leveraged both bricks onto his shoulders and heaved them over the edge. With a whistle and two meaty thumps the bricks gracefully landed on the noble group.

Without a moment to lose, Ril stepped up onto the lip at the edge of the roof, took a moment to identify his target, and leapt off of old man Joe’s roof. He landed with both feet striking Godric's head, bringing Godric to the ground wailing.The metal marble went flying out of Godric's hand hitting the wall of old man Joe's building and falling out of sight behind the stairs.

The other two nobles weren't doing so well. Sonith was hopping up and down, clutching his foot as it had been clear that the brick broke at least a few of his toes. Gom on the other hand, at the beginnings of a dark purple bruise appearing in the center of his forehead, laying comatose on the wet cobblestones.

Ril scrambled back off of Godric’s struggling body. Turning away from the injured boy. And crawled towards where the metal orb was last seen.

Behind him real heard sonnets shouting for guards to help them, and a surprising litany of insults coming from Godric whose altercation with Ril left him with a broken nose, and the beginnings of two purple rings around his eyes.

Focusing ahead of him Ril looked around the stairs of old man Joe's home and saw the metal orb resting in a pool of water. He reached down to grab it. The orb was warm, feeling almost alive to the touch. It's smooth surface reflecting back Ril’s anxious face. With a final glance at his victims Ril spun around and sprinted down the road, his prize in hand.

"Coward!" Godric bellowed. “Disgraceful, honorless cur. Come back here!” but by this point, Ril was gone.

* * *

Ril didn't stop running. His feet pounded on the cobbled streets of Elkshire, until he made his way to his hidey hole. There, among his belongings he took a better look at the metal sphere. Held in his grip, the metal sphere did not appear as metallic as it did before right after he liberated it from its previous owner. A thin patina of black powder was coating it and it's reflective surface had dulled. Fearing the worst, Ril pushed the metal sphere against his chest hoping that he hadn't destroyed his one chance at redemption.

Pain. It pulsed through his body. Starting at the center of his chest right over his heart. The pain shot out like bolts of lightning to all of his extremities. Ril gasped, only vaguely aware that he had fallen over. The edges of his vision pulsed with black.

All too soon, the pain disappeared and in its place, a dull satisfaction. Eyes closed, really on his back on the pile of sheets that he used as a bed. Allowing himself for the first time since he escaped to smile in victory. Ril opened his eyes, but instantly froze in shock. Silver text on a semi-transparent background floated gently above him.

Character name:

Ril Renar

Statistics:

Strength

8

Intelligence

17

Constitution

10

Wisdom

11

Dexterity

13

Charisma

10

Warp

5.36%

Abilities:

Blood of the Chromagnum