literature

Regicide Round 3 Part 1 - Bootleg

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The day was hot, scorching, even.  It was both a gift and a curse for Zen.  The sweltering heat had all but incapacitated the guards, who were actively hunting all of Vel Vitrum's agents...  A group that grew smaller each day.  But, it also meant her clothes were stiff, being sun-dried.  It was immensely uncomfortable.

She'd actually made her escape from the terrifying Jack earlier.  The hooded visage of the reaper himself, as friendly as he tried, could not bring her anything but fear.  She slipped away in the middle of the night after he made camp by the river...  She hoped he was asleep.

Ducking past a sweating pair of guards, she jumped under a canal bridge to evade a patrol...  what she found was something else.

On the other side, in the shade, was a man quietly picking at a guitar...  a guitar of solid gold, it appeared.  He noticed her and gave a smile.

"Why, hello there!  Terrible weather we're having, right?  Reminds me of the deserts of Salarcul.  Those shifting sands, those rusty beasts..."  He shook his head and played a small tune.  Zen seemed to recall something about this man from rumors...  Rumor!  That was it!  This was Rumor, the bard with the golden instrument!  Townsfolk wouldn't shut up about him.

She cautiously spoke, "So...  You're Rumor?"

"Ah, Rumor is a nickname.  Call me Uriel, but I'm afraid I don't know yours."  An amiable smile greeted her caution, one of someone who'd seen it all before.

"Zen."

Uriel frowned, "Alright, I see...  It's fine not to trust me with your true name..."  He shrugged and plucked the strings.

She blinked, how did he figure that out? "Excuse me?"

"Zen.  It's a word for a meditative state, right?  A foreign term, but one I've heard before.  Not something parents name a child."

"I...  I have my reasons."

The bard stopped playing, "Verily.  We all have our reasons, though few pick their nickname.  So...  Zen."  He pulled a paper from his bag.  A wanted poster, with her face on it, "It seems you are quite the popular girl."

Instinctively, she backed away.  He knew who she was!  She was in deep trouble!

"Ah, please, don't try to leave.  We don't want the guards to know we're down here."  He waggled a finger, putting it to his lips, "Listen.  I'm not in the best graces with them either, so it's best if we both keep quiet."

Zen frowned, "Aren't you one of the crown's defenders?"

"No, no, I'm just a musician here for the coronation.  The head of the guard...  well, from what I hear, he's suspicious of me for some reason or another."

"I didn't get along with him either..."

"I heard you publicly declared yourself as part of Vel Vitrum..."

"I was trying to get his attention."

Uriel grinned, "Well, it certainly worked!  Why, though?"

"..."  She shook her head.

"Ah , I get it.  We only just met."  The bard got up, "Well, it's been enough time in the shade for me."  He swung the guitar over his back.  Zen felt a small tug from behind.  Rodyh was pointing himself towards the gleaming crystal set into the instrument...  a fire gem of impressive size.

"Wait...  Where did you get that?"

"Oh?  Just got it in a trade.  I can tell the details if you walk with me."  He smiled back at the girl, who nodded quietly.

-

Caddoc groaned in the heat of the guard hall, but not because of the temperature, rather the fact his forces were now a fraction of what he had before.  There were still wildcards unaccounted for too.  One of which was that damn bard Kleine had hired.

"Terrible weather, is it not?"  Speaking of the devil...

Caddoc grabbed several reports from the table, "I have reason to believe that bard of yours burned down a district of the city!"

"Uriel?  Can't be."  Kleine laughed, "He doesn't have fire abilities."

"And you know this how?"

As if on cue, Kleine pulled a scroll case from his coat.  Caddoc snatched it away immediately.

"Ah, that was rather rude, Caddoc...  Getting this information took some effort on my part."  The head of the guard ignored him, unrolling the scroll and reading the information greedily.

"...What is this?"

"It's an report on Uriel 'Rumor,' filed by one of the nations of the Muir Nin isles...  Alainn, I believe.  They have an impressive information network.  I would suggest hiring them as mercenaries in the future."

"I'll keep that in mind if our prince ever needs foreign spies in our country."  Caddoc shot back, "So...  This is what he does, solid phantasmal images of whatever he sings about.  He could kill with any weapon, and have no evidence left."

"Are you reading the whole document, Caddoc?  It explicitly says he uses them for entertainment and self-defense."

"It also says he's nobility!  Was that your plan?  To bring a suitor for one of the princesses?  To have a foreign noble to upset the prince's claim?!"

Kleine shrugged, "Caddoc, I do believe you are paranoid.  He is simply a hired musician.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I wanted nothing but the best..."  he grinned, "For our dearest prince."
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What, you thought I'd forfiet?  In the name of those I've defeated, I am obliged to go as far as I can!

A bootleg is a term for a mashup, musically.  It involves blending songs.

It's also a term for smuggling...  something a crystal merchant would be savvy about.

I apologize for butchering characters.

:iconregicideoct:
Zen: KwlKitteh
Caddoc: SilverDrifter42
Kleine: Fortner
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Petrotasia's avatar
Nobility?! Eheehee I like where this is going :D