literature

Mist 1

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A night like this one was meant to be spent indoors.
That went for normal people, and thus also for thieves... after all there were no pockets to pick on the streets, nor chances of breaking into an house to find it empty...
The air was heavy with humidity, a chilling fog having settled eerily over town... every rustle felt like a ghost's sigh, every shadow seemed a terrible monster... it was no surprise that no-one wanted to willingly venture outside.
But then again... someone didn't have much of a choice to begin with. One of the not-so-bright sides of calling home the streets.
Another bad side was that Neros wasn't alone out there... many other thieves and cutthroats roaming the night with no place to go and no victims to pick on if not fellow lowlifes.
Which was why Neros hoped – or make that prayed – that he'd just manage to return to his quiet spot to huddle down and wait for the night to pass, as the dawn was sure to bring some hustle and bustle back to the city... any thief's natural environment, and the normal condition that would allow him to get something to eat, and maybe some coins on top of that.
The grumble of his empty stomach had been a grim reminder of the kind of day that it has been... and even that simple sound echoed noxiously in that weird fog, making Neros shudder as it seemed that the gurgle might have given his position away from blocks of distance.
The thief stopped in his tracks, keeping alert for any dangerous sound or deeper shadow emerging from the heavy haze around him... but it was all quiet. A quick sigh, and Neros was back to sneaking through the mist.
What Neros didn't like at all – more than anything else at the moment, at least – was remembering some stories he heard, rumors spreading among travelers and stuff like that... tales of entire towns, at times also regions getting swallowed whole into thick fog only to never be seen again...
It was surely nothing more than a stupid rumor, a ghost story that remained alive despite being a hoax but... well, if a peculiar kind of fog could do something like that, then this was it.
While Neros' natural curiosity was starting to make him excited about discovering how such a thing could happen, the survival instinct in him was reminding him that it was best to do so at a distance: if, for example, the mist just turned acid and dissolved everything it wouldn't be nice to be caught in it.
Deciding that he didn't have much else to do in any case, Neros changed his destination for the night: no longer heading towards his safe bit of town, but aiming for the gates.

Things couldn't really be that easy after all... getting to, and beyond, the city gates had been simple enough, but there was no getting further than that.
Neros had thought that getting away from the city would make the fog disperse, what with wider spaces and more fresh air, but it wasn't like that... not even that far from the gates, the mist became thicker and thicker, basically a solid wall that he could pound on, but not pass through.
Which made Neros even more sure that it was that kind of fabled mist, and also made him pretty sure that he didn't like the news... he was about to become part of the legend along with the rest of the city as soon as it all disappeared. Not really his idea of a nice evening...
Having found no way out of the city, Neros just returned behind the gates, feeling the urge to just have something solid stand between him and the worst of that unnatural fog, getting to calm down a little bit as the malevolent miasma was no longer swirling around him at full force... but he still had no idea on what to do now, or if he could do something to avoid a very bad fate... all in all he just felt too hungry to think properly. Despite being a master in breaking in and out of places and saving his own ass, no genius could think on an empty stomach...
So he just sat down leaning against the corner or a building near the gates and tried to collect his thoughts... only to end up dozing off. No matter how bad things could be, he was hungry and tired and, quite frankly, if he couldn't do a thing to avoid his death, it was just as well that he was asleep to not even feel it.

It was something hot and humid sloshing against his face that made Neros wake up again, the bark that followed that gesture making him realize that it was just a dog checking in on him... stupid stray might have hoped that he was dead to then gnaw at some meat, no doubt.
“Sorry, boy... not dead yet.” Neros mumbled, a hand half-petting and half-shooing the shaggy beast.
“What is it? You found someone?” a voice called out more loudly, the tone not exactly that of someone who's been out looking for poor homeless guys to help out...
The dog yapped cheerfully, the tail wagging madly and hitting Neros in the face as the man – most likely the dog's owner – came closer, another couple of dogs trailing after him slowly becoming visible as they emerged from the swirling mist.
The details all came together in Neros' mind... he knew that guy. A professional mugger if he ever saw one... just called Dogface by most – and not only for his choice of business companions – the man was one hell of a good trainer... and decided to put his talent to bad use in having his dogs help him rob people blind.
In any other night, Neros might have almost thought of him as a colleague... but in a night like this one... Dogface might just want to get his wages out of a fellow thief...
“Hey there, Dog...” Neros called out weakly, slowly getting back to stand while he could and the dogs weren't in assault mode.
“If it isn't Neros... got any luck today? Velvet hands working wonders?” Dogface called with a hoarse chuckle, stopping a few paces away from the thief while his other two dogs went to circle around Neros, closing him with his back against the wall.
“Not really... It's been a bad day, with this kind of weather no-one dared to as much as take a peek outside.” Neros pointed out, hoping that his claim of poverty would be enough to dissuade the mugger from his obvious intent.
“Yeah... a very bad day indeed. So bad that my boys might need to eat someone, you know?” Dogface continued, clearly not catching the hint or just ignoring it “Got a few coins to spare for a fellow homeless in any case?” these words were accompanied by a chorus of growls from the three dogs... this went beyond training, really, those beasts must have been able to really understand what was going on...
“Not really, Dog... I'm sorry but I don't have a penny on me.” Neros said apologetically “You can shake me if you want, but no money's going to come out of me.” he continued with a hint of a chuckle.
“I see... too bad, Neros.” Dogface shrugged “I'm sure you won't mind if I do shake you a bit, then?” the man's face twisted to a bitter grin.
As if on cue, the dogs darted, the closest one aiming for Neros' ankle and biting deep, dragging him back and making the thief fall to the ground... it had been all so quick, and now he was at the mercy of the spiteful mugger and his three trained furry fiends.

“'It's in your area' my ass! Oh, this is the last time I'm going to do him a favor, dammit...” Dean muttered angrily as he headed off between the trees “Fuck everything! I was supposed to be on vacation...” he continued bitterly before a wicked grin parted his lips and his strides became calmer “It doesn't matter... I'll just make sure that Tyre pays for this. This time, he's going to regret having bothered me... and just 'cause he was too lazy to get all the way out here, no less!”
Swearing bloody vengeance made Dean feel more at peace when the universe, and so he could now feel the source of the unease that was guiding him in the woodlands that would have otherwise provided him with a quiet distraction from work... if only he didn't get work dropped on him by that fucking blondie...
And soon enough, he managed to reach the place... only to see that Tyre would have had plenty of time to get his ass up here and check it himself before the cocoon of mist as much as started to disperse...
Groaning under his breath, Dean took out a block and started to jot down the coordinates and first data on the appearance spot... at least, judging by the size of it, it was probably a human place. Elven ones usually had tall towers that showed up even through the fog... and few other stuff were at that size. Of course, the chance of something new popping up was always a possibility... and, knowing his luck, almost a certainty, but Dean's money was on human.
Which was not nice at all... at least elves spoke more or less the same lingo no matter which world they came from... humans on the other side could be trickier. And dealing with a bunch of scared little fuckers who didn't even understand what you were saying was far from his idea of a good night...

Pain flared in Neros's body as more bites delved into his flesh, each meant to be crippling painful but not fatal... just the kind of thing he'd expect out of Dogface, leaving his beasts to do the dirty work to then just check on the writhing body at leisure.
After having searched Neros for a while, the man nodded “So you really didn't have a thing? Sorry... but it was business. I'm sure you understand...” Dogface said, not sounding the least bit sorry though.
Neros just groaned something under his breath, but words weren't coming to his mouth at all.
“Well, see you around then... Come on now, boys... we're leaving.” Dogface continued, patting a hand on his leg to signal his mutts that it was time to retreat... only to receive a low growl in reply.
It was a first, really.
“Hey, what is it, boys? Forgot who I am in this thick fog?” the mugger asked teasingly, gesturing his dogs to follow him once more.
But the beasts remained still, frozen in place and growling at something far beyond the gates...
And then a gust of wind pierced through the mist, sudden and strong and pretty lengthy for being just a random current, the chilly air blowing away the heavy strands of mist and revealing the sky above... a strange sky that didn't show stars nor moon but wasn't dark either, as if light was filtering from somewhere far above.
“... let's see this then.” a powerful voice broke through the silence, monstrous in its tone and intensity.
It seemed that the dogs were braver than they appeared if they had the guts to growl at whoever was producing such a sound.
Both the dogs and their master remained petrified in gazing upwards at the source of the noise but soon returned to their senses and started to run, run as fast as they could... and screaming while at it.
It seemed like a very sensible thing to do... but Neros could hardly do more than crawl and wheeze at the moment so he couldn't follow their example despite wanting to.
“Human... I knew it would be. Well, let's try and approach the civilians then...” the voice continued with a sneer and everything became dark as pounding quakes hit around Neros.
The thief look up in terror at the impossibly huge figure towering over him... and he could only close his eyes in seeing an immense gloved hand head directly for him...

“Hey... Hey, pipsqueak...” Dean sighed “Neros!” the last call, being more specific and loud, got the human to wake up at last.
Despite the clearly frightened start, Neros soon quieted down, smirking softly as he asked “Is it breakfast time yet?”
“Nope... but you were whining in your sleep.” Dean said almost softly before adding “And it was annoying as hell.”
“Then why did you wake me up? What if I was having a wonderful dream that made me whine in delight?” Neros asked, even if he actually knew that he was having a nightmare...
“I wouldn't give a fuck, as long as you stopped with the annoying...” Dean sighed and looked down at the little human “Which, I now realize, will only get worse with you awake...”
“Well... it was a nightmare actually, so...” Neros looked up at Dean quite pleadingly “... can I sleep with you?”
One would assume that, having lived alone and in the streets for most of his life would have turned Neros into a very hard and cold individual... and while he could be that way, he also tended to hog all chances and excuses to get some human warmth whenever he could... or actually giant warmth in this case.
“Fine, fine... I'm not even going to argue.” After all Dean knew that even if he refused, Neros would have just waited for him to fall asleep before coming close in any case “So... a nightmare?”
“Yeah... it was our first meeting. Again.” Neros admitted and, saying it like that, it did seem strange...
“Oh, scary indeed... and so much logical.” Dean snorted down those words “I'm scaring the shit out of you in your dreams and then you cuddle up with me in reality? It makes so much sense, kiddo...”
“It makes sense to me, Dean.” Neros said with a contented smirk as he noticed the miffed pout on Dean's face as he moved across the giant's body to then lay down on his chest.
“I'm going to leave with you with Tyre starting tomorrow, Ner...” Dean groaned.
“Go right ahead... you know what'll happen.” Neros said in a singsong tone... last time that Dean tried that, he and the big ogre managed to make Dean regret the choice... so many pranks that the grumpy black-haired giant only lasted for a night before snatching Neros back.
After all Dean couldn't really take it out on the little guy. It would have been easy to... it wouldn't take much at all for someone like Dean to make sure that Neros regretted all the cheek and annoyance that the little guy fed him regularly.
But this human was important apparently... no other reason why he should have been under surveillance like that...
Right now Dean felt so much more curious about what made Neros so special in any case... 'cause it had better be a very good kind of special to keep him from swatting the guy that was making happy humming as it made himself comfortable on Dean's chest...
Well, just felt like uploading something... the start of a plot that isn't going nowhere. XD;

There is a bit more of it though... still, yeah, worlds getting jumbled up and stuff like that.

Btw, just wanted to point out that, with 39 copies sold, 4 ratings and 4 reviews... you could all be pretty close to a triple update 'cause of rewards. ^^

Tyre (c) *Lost-in-Legends
Neros (c) =MythrilMog
© 2013 - 2024 Osric09
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MythrilMog's avatar
I don't know why this wasn't in my faves already... but fixed that~ U3U This was a really great verse ^^