Throwing a ball into the air, catching it, then repeat. Over and over.

I walked up to the only lighted building, a squat brick tower, with two lightly armored and armed guards standing outside, on either side of the door. Most of them were most likely out on patrol, so there should only be a dozen or so inside. I tossed the ball into the air one more time, then held it while stopping in front of the guards.

"Hey, beat it."

I swished my cloak, and pulled out two pieces of silver. Then I bowed, and reached out a hand to shake. One at a time, I slipped a coin into their hands. They looked the other way as I opened the door. When I stepped inside, I dropped the bag holding my two-hundred or so copper pieces, then kept walking. The six guards watched me carefully, until I'd reached the door with a metal plaque on the outside.

'Cheif of the Watch, Bensfin Gebrisor.'

I knocked twice, and waited politely. After a few seconds, a gruff voice from inside yelled, "What?! It's two in the morning! Get in here, and you'd better tell me something good!"

I open the door and step inside. A half-clothed full-bearded man sat at his desk, a line of drool making a pool on his desk. I quickly walked forward, and took a seat. He raised an eyebrow, but I spoke quickly. "I get the feeling you don't like to waste time, so I'll get straight to the point. You seem to be a man who's comfortable with himself, so you won't mind me telling you this-"

"You're makng an awful amount of assumptions."

"Yes, but even if I'm wrong, i still think you'll like what I have to say. I want to bribe you."

He looked at me for a few seconds, then laughed. "You? What could a brat possibly want to bribe me for? And don't think I'll arrest your daddy just cause' he-"

*Thunk*

A couple pieces of the glittering metal popped out of the bag and rolled around, a testimony to the value of the coinage. He looked back at my face, then wiped the smile off his face. "What kinda value are you gonna place on my soul?"

I laughed a little myself. "Oh, your soul was sold a long, long time ago. You don't become like me and you with only a few wrong steps.

Extreme good, and extreme evil are two sides of a coin. Achieving either takes more effort than most people have. But, for people like us, that go seeking the wrong path...well, let's just say that the risks don't always exceed the rewards, eh?"

We both grinned wolfishly. "So, enough with the talk. What are you paying me for, and how much are you paying?"

I opened up the sack, and counted out five coins. His smile wavered, until I pocketed the money. Then, I pushed the sack towards him. "83 pieces of silver, a large sum, yes? And all I want...is for you to ignore talk about a very successful gambler. You get what I'm saying?"

He looked me up and down, then put a single hand on the sack. "I can't excempt you from law. If one of my men sees you doing something illegal, they'll still arrest you. I have to maintain my reputation."

I put up my hands. "Of course! None of your men will see me do anything! But if an angry man comes out of a tavern and goes looking for his buddies to teach someone a lesson...maybe you could invite them over to stay a night?"

He nodded, then took the sack and placed it in a drawer. "Sure, I can do that much. The mayors' been complaining that the guard haven't been earning their pay...I'd say we're earning a pay of some sort, huh?"

I get up, then remember something. "Oh, and if a little kid comes around saying stuff about a guy named Jeff...you know how kids are these days, right?"

We smiled, shook hands, then I turned around and left. Then, I asked one of the guards standing outside the door where the apothecary was. He pointed me in the direction, then I set off.

---

When I arrived, the apothecary was dozing at his counter. I quietly gathered everything I wanted, then placed them on the counter. I gave the man a gentle shake, and speaking in a soft, wavy voice, I said..."...and then this happened, and that guy punched the other...it was terrible. Right, this is...two silver, six copper, right?"

He nodded sleepily, took my money, then waved goodbye while falling asleep as I left. With any luck, he'd dismiss this as a dream. I couldn't have just stolen it, as there was probably an anti-theft charm somewhere in the building, and it would take too long to find it. Plus, I didn't have any way of deactivating it, so even finding it would be useless.

Then sat down in an alley, and sighed. A pile of garbage was right next to me, which might be enough. I took out the sugar, molasses, and a few other...ingredients...then set about grinding it all together with a loose cobblestone. I could see in the dark, another useful trait of my race. Well, I didn't need to sleep, so it would follow sense that night was where my species strength lay.

After I'd made it, I took a stick about a foot long, and inserted it into my creation. Then, I carefully wrapped it up with a leaf, then headed towards the place where I'd met that stupid kid. After reaching the place, I sat down to wait.

Several hours passed while I waited. Then, at the first sign of light, I started looking around the alleys until I found a kid.

Dirty, ragged, and starving. Perfect. I sat down beside it, and sighed loudly. When the kid didn't respond, I poked it on the cheek. It slowly looked at me, and I smiled. "Hey, you seem a little down on your luck."

The child looked at the sky, then whispered, "...Luck has nothing to do with this. Just simple human foolishness."

I looked at the sky too, and the rapidly disappearing stars. "The sky is so full of stars...don't you think it would be nice if you could take one?"

"Pft, as if you could hold onto a star. Besides, they're so far away, how would you even reach them?"

I smiled wider, and threw something into the air while the kid wasn't looking. A twinkle shined high in the sky, and I held up my hand. "Like this." And it fell into my hand with a click.

I held it up to the faint light that was fast disappearing. In my hand was a silver coin, more money than this kid had probably seen in its' life.

"Kid, you don't need to reach a star to own it. Greed is humanities defining trait, and money is the materialization of that. What if I said that you could one day have a million people, all at once, look into the sky and say, "This belongs to that kid."

it looked at the coin in my hand, then looked away. "Did you come here to mock me?"

I flipped the coin, caught it on the back of my hand, then tossed it to land on the kids head. "No, I came to hire you. You're the one who started the philosophical topic."

The kid took the coin, then scooted a little away from me. "Aren't you a little young to be preying on little children?"

I smacked the kids' head. "Listen, I'm the only prostitute here. What I want you to do is a little different..."

Snot-nosed-brats' POV

I hid behind a corner, watching for that stupid teen to walk into the place we'd met before. Although I was superior in every way, I was a little curious about what kind of gift that stupid boy would think to give.

I looked at the sun every now and then, counting off the minutes until two. The moment arrived...and passed...I checked the sun...he was five minutes late...

*Poke*

"AH! What the fuck!"

I looked behind me, and saw a kid even smaller than me. It looked at me, then said, "Hey, do you know a creepy guy named Jeff?"

I nodded. "Ah...yeah..."

It held up a stick attached to a bunch of leaves. "He said to give this to you. Said is was a peace offering, and that you were undoubtedly better than him."

I smiled, and took it. Kinda like a trophy. As I pulled at the leaves, they fell off and a bright, glistening disk was revealed. "Wow, even though everything else about him sucks...he at least knows when he's defeated."

I almost called out to the kid who was rapidly disappearing, but something had caught my attention. It was something small, in the middle of the disk. I used my finger to wipe at the cloud and transparent substance, and it came away sticky. I unconsciously licked it... it was sweet. I quickly licked the disk itself, and it felt as if my tongue had been stung by nettles, yet it was somehow pleasant.

For an hour after I licked it, until I was finished. Then I threw the stick away, and found the thing that had been in the middle. A scrap of bark, with something etched into it. It was hard to read as it was old-speak, but I could vaguely make it out...

'Dear, unfortunate, stupid, friend. The fact that you're reading this means that you are so tiny brained you have lost any respect I may have held for you.

What did I say, about opponents?

Ash. Disintegrated. Or dust. Now...

Please, be entertaining. I could use a good laugh.'

Then, something gathered in my bowels, and then...unspeakable things happened. The only thing I remembered was crying on the hard, cold cobblestones, and cursing Jeff with all my heart.

"...I'll find you...and I'll take everything you love...and I'll destroy it...mark my words."

"Pass your bets! 10-1 on Mr. Dice, please pass your bets!"

Today was a good day. I threw my dice, to the groans and cheers of everyone around me. This was the fifth tavern tonight, and the wealthiest so far. The kid-after getting some decent clothes, a haircut, and a good washing-was professionally taking bets and setting odds. Of course, since I cheated, we always got more than we lost. And quite a bit more it was.

Now, instead of making money by winning, I was making much more money by losing. Just when it seemed I was undefeatable-I would lose dramatically, Although it always looked like I left the tavern with fewer coins than I entered, the kid had trouble carrying it all out. Of course, after my loss, I would always win a few times to assuage damaged pride, but I always winked and passed a coin to any guard I passed. Afterward, the guard would get a few of his buddies and follow the muscular guys who lost a lot of money, and invite them to sleep in the dungeon.

Ah, it felt good. Of course, I left out the back door, as going out the front was just asking for trouble. Night was beginning to fall, and I had a lot to do if I wanted to wake up.

---

I opened the door, and stepped in. All around, shadowy figures and dark corners surrounded me. I boldly walked forward, until I'd reached the foot of a throne-like chair. A thin, willow-like man no older than twenty lounged sideways on the chair. I gave a short bow, then took out a bag of silver, and threw it on the ground. "I want two of the biggest, meanest, and strongest men you have. The fee is 40 silver. The time is until I'm done here. I'll give an additional tip of 5 silver for each instance that requires your mens' attention. Do we have a deal?"

The man sat up, then snapped a finger. "Fen, Ben, you got anything else to do?"

The duo stepped forward. Seven foot tall, half as wide, and muscly as all hell. Perfect. "Nothing worth 40, boss. We taking it?"

The boss nodded, and I turned around and left.

Boss' POV

The second Dice left, I snapped my fingers again. "Hey, Flip. Get out here."

A thin, rat-like man slumped out of the shadows. I pointed at the door. "Follow him. Come back and report. I'll get the men ready. Go."

I rested my chin on my palm, and smiled.

"Tonight, my friends, we make a lot of money."

"""WHOOOOOOO!"""

---

I motioned with hand-signals for the operation to begin. Eight men quickly climbed to the second floor of the inn, then broke the window and jumped in. The sound of muffled yells carried across the street, and the twelve sentries I'd placed in a large circle around the building all smiled.

I let myself enjoy a little smile. Why take 40 silver and act like dogs, when we could take it all and make him act like a dog?

Then the sentries started disappearing.

One by one, they were pulled into the shadows. Then, the inn door opened, and the eight men I'd sent in were thrown out, unconscious and tied up. Men in burgundy surcoats and carrying spears and clubs came out after them, and motioned for a prison cart to place the captured thieves in.

I turned around, to find a smirking, red-eyed bastard looking at me, surrounded by shadowy figures holding tied-up sentries. The men standing behind the sentries weren't guards-they were members of rival gangs. They were grinning at me, taunting and gleeful.

The man stepped forward, and gave a bow. I sighed, and let my head hang in defeat. "How did you do it?"

The man smiled. "Betrayal is like the plague. Those who dabble in it are bound to get infected. You're the biggest gang in the whole town, and to get that way you made enemies. I just offered them a plan to do some betraying themselves."

"That still doesn't explain the guards. I've bribed them."

I raised my hands palm-up. "I pay them more. Besides...the going rate for bail is 5 silver, right? Why do you think I paid you 40?"

I fingered my sword. "I hope you don't think I'll come quietly."

He shook his head. "The deal still stands. Your two men will meet me in front of this inn in the morning, and I'll still pay the tip for any instances that I need to make use of them. I keep my word..."

I eyed him.

"...unlike other people."

"You're a bastard."

"Hey, I take pride in the fact I don't know who my father is."

I let out a sigh, then started walking away. He let me. As I left, I felt a surge of sarcasm rise in me. "I guess I know why they call you, 'Loaded Dice' around here. They say that the only way to beat you is to take all the factors of luck out of it."

I laughed. "And, I keep telling them.

Luck has nothing to do with it."

Congratulations! You've gained the title >!

Effects include: +1 Wisdom, -1 Luck.

Keep up the good work!

I smiled to myself while looking at the pop-up. 'Wisdom' affected your mana capacity. I now had ten. Which would be useful...

Except I can't use magic, and the cheapest spell, in existence, cost 15 mana.

As I was feeling depressed, Quibbles came over and climbed onto my shoulder. I was sitting at the table of my broken-in room, wasting time until sunrise. I gave Quibbles pieces of the meal I hadn't eaten, but ordered to keep up appearances.

I leaned back, and looked at my sacks of money.

Three hundred pieces of silver, and no clue what to do with it. That was the problem with me. I knew how to get money, how to save it, to enlarge it, I just...

Didn't know how to use it, besides giving it away. The only reason I carried a wallet was so that any pickpocket ballsy enough to rob me would get a decent return.

I went to the bed, and lay down on my back. Propping up my head on a pillow, I kept petting the drowsy Quibbles until it'd fallen asleep. It'd grown. Right after I'd arrived here, Quibbles had run off. Now he'd returned, and was a size bigger. His claws had grown, his tail had become longer...

My, Quibbles really is a little monster. I think he takes after me.

I just hope he doesn't start talking again...