Is it ever a beautiful night! Jey, feeling smug and very sure of himself, had spent the last couple of hours wandering through dark, quiet streets, admiring the way moonlight reflected off cobblestones, the way shadows painted the alleyways. He was too full of energy to seek out a bed tonight; he was too proud of his accomplishment to rest. I did it. I actually did it!
While wandering happily and aimlessly through the moonlit streets of Tallys City, he somehow managed to end up in the town square. The most powerful guilds and businesses all claimed a building or two around this airy, open space at the centre of the city. The town hall in particular, located to the west of the open square, was a sight to see, resplendent with many different kinds of columns, gargoyles, and other sculptured ornamentation. Someone had even built a tacky fountain complete with ludicrous fish sculptures in front of it; the shoddy fountain sprayed water periodically in all directions. Admiring the sheer lack of artistry that this fountain displayed, Jey sat down at the edge of its surrounding pool of water, not minding the occasional jet of water at his back. Nothing could dampen his spirits now.
I can almost see my castle now, he thought excitedly. Complete with all kinds of towers, and turrets... whatever those are... and plenty of gargoyles.... He stopped, and stared appraisingly at the overwhelmingly gothic town hall in front of him. Naah, he finally decided. Looks kind of silly with all those gargoyles and things stuck all over it. Maybe something more like.... He glanced around; one building nearby caught his attention. It nearly glowed white in the soft moonlight.
A temple or something? No, he realized, it must be the main office of the healer's guild. Or something. Whoever works there, it sure is pretty... What must have been white marble shone faintly, the simple, classic lines of the building accentuating the sheer beauty of its building materials. Wow. Maybe I should build my castle out of that stuff...
For the first time, Jey idly wondered how his fifty million coins would be delivered to him. And how long will I have to wait? Not too long, I hope...
Suddenly, a blur of motion caught his attention. Streaking through the air a couple of feet above the ground, Jey just barely identified the flying figure as Lina Inverse before she disappeared, post-haste, into the healers' temple.
What the...? She's still alive? Jey moaned. No - hey, wait, she went straight to the healers! She must be dying! He smirked, his good spirits returning. Won't do you much good, Lina Inverse. No healer can save you now! I think, he amended hastily.
Jey wasn't prepared, however, for the sight of Lina's re-emergence. She barrelled out of the temple, dragging an old, flannel-robed, very astonished man along with her. What? Why would she.... Utterly confused, the young mercenary followed behind the speeding sorceress at a dead run.
He chased the sorceress along the dark streets of the city, barely able to keep up with her. After several long minutes of this, she disappeared into a large, prosperous-looking inn, still dragging the old healer behind her.
Jey staggered to a halt near the inn's front door, gasping for breath. I've never run so fast in my life... he thought, as he leaned against a convenient wall. His legs were trembling so much that he didn't trust them to support his weight much longer. Now why on Earth would she bring that whiterobe back here... unless... Damn. Damn! Jey felt like cursing out loud, but that would only attract attention. And the only kind of attention you could attract at such a late hour of the night was the kind of attention that no one in their right minds would ever want. She's still perfectly fine; I got one of her friends instead! Well, it's still okay, he thought, trying to calm himself down and succeeding fairly well. That's one less companion who's left to watch her back. The job's still proceeding as it should, just... slower than I would've liked.
Now more-or-less recovered from his run through the city, Jey stepped back and took a long, lingering look at the inn where his intended target was staying. Soon, you'll be dead, Lina Inverse. It's nothing personal, he thought solemnly. It's just that when a guy's offered fifty million gold on a platter, he takes the opportunity no matter what. And I really, really need the money, so....
He turned his back on the inn and walked off with a sigh. I'm going to have to come up with yet another brilliant plan. Not only that, he realized, I'm going to have to come up with some more money! I'm completely broke! In the hopes that he still had a few coins on his person, the young man halted and searched every pocket and pouch in his worn, slightly ragged clothes. All he found were two copper coins hidden in the deepest creases of one pocket.
He groaned. That's not even enough to buy one meal, or even spend the night at the cheapest, filthiest, rattiest inn imaginable. Damn. In low spirits, he made his way to the side of the street and flopped down on a convenient doorstep. I need money, but how can I get some? he asked himself. Stealing? I've never been any good at it. Vague, painful memories of him at a young age being horsewhipped for pickpocketing flitted across his mind.
Then he thought of the sword buckled around his hips. If I pawn it... No. I need to keep some way of defending myself. Besides, this old thing's so beat up and scratched, I'd probably need to pay someone to take it from me.
Nothing else of value remained in his pockets; he checked them again just to make sure, and found nothing other than lint.
Slowly, Jey pulled out a medallion that was hanging on a leather thong around his neck. He studied it, watching the moonlight glint off its vaguely shiny surface. It was a flat disk of some kind of grey metal. Some kind of dark reddish-brown enamel created a strange pattern on one of its two faces; the other face was blank. The shape of the enamel design reminded Jey somewhat of a butterfly, or of two capital "R"'s placed back to back and joined in the centre by a horizontal line.
For a brief moment, he wondered how much it would bring him at a jeweller's store, but he ended up tucking it safely back into his shirt. No. Not the medallion. It was the only thing of value he owned. He'd had it for as long as he could remember; he couldn't just give it up.
So what does that leave me with? The clothes on my back.... My boots.... Jey realized, with a sinking feeling, My new, sturdy, well-made, expensive boots.... I can sell them and buy a cheaper pair, and still have enough money to live for a few days; a week if I'm careful.
Resigned to his fate, Jey rose to his feet once more. No stores, pawnshops or otherwise, will be open at this ungodly hour of the night. And until I sell my boots I won't have enough money to rent a room at an inn. I guess I'll be walking around the city till sunrise. The thought of such a long moonlit walk no longer seemed quite as inviting as it had just a few minutes before.
And these boots were just getting comfortable, too, damn it....