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"Among Rat-Thieves"

SHORT STORY

Nighttime brought an eerie quiet to the city streets. Watch-lanterns burned, their light fading in proportion to their draining wax-oil. Faint illumination dotted the main street at ten-metre intervals; solid grey circles covering the cobblestones, the remainder of the path clad in darkness. Smoke rose from house chimneys as citizens stoked their hearths for the cold night ahead. The occasional guard clanked by in heavy steel plate.

Such expenses as street lighting and regular patrols were a well-earned luxury in this quarter. The poorer sections of the city had to make do with their own wits in the pitch-black. Small wonder then, that criminals and other 'enterprising' souls of dubious moral character found their way deeper into the merchant housing, into the stores and workshops -- infesting the wealthy side of town. Those who could afford to lose a thing or two...

"This way, yes?"

The paved road spilled downwards, like a smooth hill, gradually sloping from the large gatehouse that marked the entrance to the noble's district, with smaller alleys branching out into masses of urban build-up. Veins coursing through the body metropolitan, funnelling traffic here-and-there.

In one such alley four persons gathered.

"No tricks from you! Or else we get angry!"

The light from the lanterns failed to penetrate the dark alleyway. It was a fortunate thing too. No nosy neighbours catching a glimpse of sinister goings-on. Especially snooty, cowardly upper-class types with plenty of material wealth -- plenty to fear for. The ruckus they'd raise if feeling threatened would bring guards swarming over the area. Though perhaps they wouldn't feel so scared if accosted by any of the four presently assembled.

This was, after all, a city of giants.

"No tricks, I promise."

One of the shadowy figures sneered. An unpleasant, guttural sound. Part wheezing, part snivelling, part hissing. He advanced towards the speaker. In doing so, the light revealed his true appearance, no longer sheathed in darkness: a rat -- one of the fouler denizens of the city. There was nothing quite so unappealing as the lowest of rodent-kind cursing and threatening you to serve them in their schemes. Alas, this was the fate of the squirrel in their midst.

"No tricks. At all! You think rats blind, rats deaf...we have eyes, we have ears. Eyes and ears enough to know when you cross us."

Three rats, clad in various gutter-garments, surrounded the squirrel. She stood over twice their height at rest, three times if she stretched. Aei -- that was her name -- pulled back from the trio. This was not her first time dealing with rats, though it was a wise choice on her part to keep that fact hidden. She could play the timid captive, new to their wily ways, until...

"Stop staring at nothing!" One of the rats interrupted her train of thought. Snapping back to the present she bowed her head gently.

"I'm sorry," she replied.

"Sorry?" the rat jeered. This one was the largest, and ugliest. "Sorry not good enough, bushy-tail. We have work to do, me and my skittergang. And you...you show us the way."

He moved closer, invading her personal space. That wicked smile, hinting at all manner of deviancy, burned into her mind. The rank stench of his breath as he wheezed made her wretch. Aei was able to hide any outward signs of her disgust. He held a knife in his hands. Not a fine blade befitting a warrior; a mucky, rusted spike -- most likely fashioned from stolen nails. Completing his detestable appearance were shabby cloth wrappings caught in a never-ending struggle to contain his pudgy, bloated belly.

This was Attik. Their leader.

"Yeah," another joined in, "bushy-tail gonna lead us to treasure."

Another 'charming' visage brought itself into full view under the light. Thinner than Attik -- cleaner as well -- but retaining all the wretched cunning of his master. He walked with a limp, hobbled no doubt from some vicious scrap beneath the city streets. His name was Rakkus.

Aei's final captor did not speak. Didn't appear to care much for any of the goings-on unfolding before him. Similar in appearance to Rakkus, there were tell-tale scar marks on his fur running from his chest to his cheeks. One scarcely needs a lecture in physiology to find a reason for his absent chattiness. The others called him Eeter, though if that was his real name or a comment on his appetite remained a mystery.

The three rats had cornered Aei in the undercity. That gleaming subterranean hub of interconnecting caves and sewers rodent-kind spent their days inhabiting. Beneath the burgeoning urban jungle, the homes of giants ten times their size.

They'd bet their mothers' lives Aei regretted her foray into the deep dark underworld. Eeter was the first to encounter her, blocking her way home, refusing the budge for all her protests. Rakkus and Attik then came up from behind and 'introduced' themselves...

What have we here?

Bushy-tail. All alone. What brings you to undercity?

Oh...you want to leave. We not let you.

Poor squirrel. Poor bushy-tail. Such bad clothes. Ragged.

You want to help us? Hmmm...get rich?

Choice? Heh, no choice...

The skittergang were lucky to find themselves a servant, a washer-maid, willing to steal from their master. The giants of the city above were rich and fat, and careless. Rodents rarely lived above ground. Not here, not in this place. The risk was too great. One bad day, one temper -- a giant flying off the handle -- and_poof_...gone! There's a great deal of trust required to employ tiny folk overground. Trust which can be abused.

Aei presented no resistance. She'd guided them through the under-streets near to the smithy owned by her...b __enefactor_._Under no illusion that the rats wouldn't hesitate to kill her if she refused.

They were becoming agitated.

"You have no reason to doubt me. I want, I need money as well," she lied.

The four of them proceeded to the end of the alleyway, next to the smithy.

"Here," she showed them an opening in the wall, protected by a door, "is the service entrance for...small folk like me."

"Good. Good!" Attik remarked. He gestured to the unopened door.

"Lead the way, bushy-tail."

* * *

They crawled through the service passage, reaching a large storeroom. It was dark, but their night-vision could serve as a suitable replacement for firelight. Huge wooden crates lay stacked in tall towers about them, impervious to any attempts by the tiny rodents to crack them open. A stairway carved into the stone wall led to the forge itself, Aei informed them, and that is where best they should focus their search. Noise from the forge-room was carried through the stuffy air to their ears, in the basement fires burned, embers at this point in the night. Faint vibrations hummed in their skulls, a minor annoyance.

The rats made a cursory sweep of the area.

"Place is empty? I think so. No sound from upstairs. Big ones snore. Loudly."

"They...they do," Aei said, hoping to keep the conversation peaceful.

"You look sure. Very sure." Attik levelled his gaze at her. The other two rummaged through bundles of forge material. "Hmm..."

"Whu--what is it?" she asked, taking a short step back from the skittergang's leader.

"Something not right. You not seem...ckherr..." he swore under his breath, unable to pinpoint the source of his mistrust for their captive guide. She worked for the smith, yes, but was she hiding something? He could see it in her eyes: they darted, when she thought no-one was looking. Was it nerves, or something more?

"Don't believe you should be alone. I stay." He snapped his clawed fingers. "Rakkus."

"Yes boss?" his subordinate crowed.

"Go on ahead. Downstairs. If gold and silver not here then it must be below."

"Yes boss," Rakkus smiled, his maw filled with needle-like teeth. He practically salivated over the coming hunt for shiny things.

"Take Eeter. Bushy-tail promises riches. Bushy-tail delivers, or we start cutting!" He brandished his knife for effect. The tarnished metal hovered inches from Aei's delicate form. Her eyes fixed on the weapon, whilst in the corner of her vision the twin grey blurs of Rakkus and Eeter vanished down the stairway -- the small rodents cautiously lowering themselves down each step. A fall from that high up would spell the end of their vicious lives.

Their chitter-chatter faded into peace and quiet. Just her and Attik now. Alone.

The chief rat surveyed his surroundings. Her silence was distracting, deafening even. It wasn't borne of timidity. Something else held her emotions at bay. Something learned, something practised.

And there! The corner of her mouth, upturned...

"Why you smiling?"

Her expression dropped back to neutral, with a hint of worry present.

"I mean no offence--"

"Quiet! Too quiet. And calm! How are you calm?"

"I--I don't understand."

Attik gnashed the air. "No play stupid! When we find you in undercity, you surprised. But that gone now. No more surprise. Are you still scared even?"

"Yeh--"

"Huh? Hmm?Hkkuh?" he coughed.

"YES!" she shouted, "yes I am still scared. You...you...rat!" Her voice wavered, but grew firmer as she continued: "and why I'm smiling? Do you think I'm smiling at a time like this!?"

"Hmm," Attik murmured, "maybe dark tricks me..."

"Of course it's the accursed dark! Leave me be, please, and go on with your thievery!"

"I know, I know now," Attik spat. She'd been getting under his skin for a while now, obeying them but not fearing them. Worming her way into his discontent. "I know why not scared." He was furious. An accusatory finger pointer her way. "Squirrels clean. Squirrels proper. High. Mighty..." he trailed off, fuming at her perceived snobbery.

Aei understood his words. "No, no!" she tried to assure him, "I'm not...listen...I'm not..."I'm not disgusted by you, she wanted to say, but couldn't gather the courage to defend herself. It was a bald-faced lie anyway. She wasn't afraid. She'd seen his type often.

"You slum with rat-kin, you think you any better?" Attik sneered. "We rodent," he pointed the knife at him, then Aei, to make his point, "vermin. Bushy-tail not want to hear this. She pretends to be fancy! Fancy squirrel, fancy bushy-tail, cleaning clothes of big folk!"

"Leave me alone!"

"NO!" he shouted, loudly for a creature so small. "Not leave alone. What if bushy-tail run? Gets big guards? Then my skittergang in trouble. Giants tolerate you, let you live and work in city. They hate us! Sneaking, stealing, thieves! They hate us 'cause they not catch us. Squirrel is rodent traitor! They ignore you like slave."

"I am no slave," Aei shot back, "I'm--" she stopped, holding back a slip of the tongue that would ruin her.

Angry at her, Attik brandished his makeshift knife. Aei inched back, maintaining her distance. Many things ran through the rat chief's mind. Whatever to do with their captive?

Aei raised her arms. The stubborn squirrel attempted to defuse his anger. "Listen. Please...you don't need to threaten me," she adopted as calm a voice as possible, given the circumstances -- it appeared to have an effect on her captor. "Put it down. You said if I let you in nothing bad would happen. Put the knife down."

Her appeal was successful. Attik let his weapon drop, clattering as it hit the floor. Peace, for a moment.

Aei exhaled.That was close. It had been a risky decision leading them here and not scarpering when she'd had the chance. It was risky to seek their violent company in the first place. Alas, that was something about herself she couldn't change.

"Th--thank you."

"Ahh,hkrakh...all brave again. Which is the real you?"

She looked away. Her arms held her sides as her foot-paw brushed the ground.

"Brave. So brave!" Attik's face curled into a sinister grin. His tongue licked his upper lip. "I know what to do with brave females."

Aei's eyes widened. Was he talking about...?

"Brave females struggle. Make faces. Pain faces. Struggle is fun!"

"Gods above no! No way am I going to...ser--guh--service...scum like you!" She recoiled in disgust, her mask slipping. This was too much. She'd let it go too far.

"SEE!" Attik exclaimed in triumph, "there is high and mighty! You lie, lie to all of us. You despise rat-kin! TRICKS!" He gnashed and snarled, swinging his claws, cutting the air. "You pay for words. You pay for looks now.Rats filthy. Rats vermin. RATS CUT YOU OPEN!"

He advanced on Aei, forcing her slowly back. She would run out of room in due time, then there'd be nowhere to run. He made an unholy commotion, swearing and cursing at the squirrel.

A commotion that summoned another...

Behind Attik, through the open door to the living area of the smithy, came the smith. A giant tiger clad in a dusty tunic -- one of the 'big folk' of the city, an enormous feline now taking extreme care to sneak up on the unsuspecting rat thief. Aei could see him enter the periphery of her vision. The huge orange-and black-furred titan strode cautiously, taking every necessary step to ensure his footfalls were muffled. A broad, strong body, honed from hours of manual labour, flexed as he walked slowly towards the squirrel and her foul captor. The tiger's stealth was unparalleled for his size, aided by Attik's single-minded obsession with his captive guide.

Aei maintained her gaze upon the rat. Her composure wavered little. The scale of the room seemed comical, oversized to an obscene degree, when no occupant filled it to the fullest. Once the smith had emerged onto the scene, it was then her and Attik who appeared minuscule by comparison. She swallowed. It felt like eating paste. The room spun. Her mind was flooded with worry, her animal instincts screaming at her to flee. To run far far away, away from the giant, the predator...

She grit her teeth, nearly breaking the skin of her cheeks in the process. She would endure. She had always endured. The emotions came faster, raging through her muscles as they readied her escape. No...NO! Aei was not about to move an inch. Attik was still cursing and threatening her, though the words melted into the aether. Who cared what a foul-mouthed thief had to say? He wouldn't be around for much longer.

Attik balled his clawed hands into fists. Blood seeped from between his fingers. Those wiry digits dug deep into his palm, the pain numbed by the rat's anger. His knife lay to one side, resting on the wooden floor. "Not need this," he laughed, kicking it further away, "squirrels...bushy-tails...be brave as you want...you still weak meat!"

Another snap of his jaws as he savaged the air in front of him. Another step back for Aei.

"You no longer useful. We have all we need to steal, steal, and steal again! Stupid squirrel. Stupid bushy-tail. Stupid_witness_--"

If he were younger, and more spry, Attik would've made the leap. He bunched his muscles, intending to strike at the squirrel, the need to claw her pretty body open filling his conscious mind. He wouldn't make it.

Aei gasped.

BOOM!!!

The tiger's foot descended in the blink of an eye, falling from a height three times the rat's stature, and smashing the rodent into nothingness.

SLEUCKH!!! Squrrrshh!

The giant feline ground his foot-paw into the timbers. A sickening squelch made it to Aei's ears as he slid his paw from side-to-side, wiping the bloodstained remnants of what was once a fearsome, loathsome little creature across the floor. She had debated closing her eyes and sparing her sanity the gruesome sight playing out three (giant) feet from where she stood -- but a part of her refused to shy away from seeing just desserts. Her body sank, arms felt like lead weights. She looked up. The tiger's face held disgust, and anger...incensed at the notion he was being robbed. His teeth were bared, his maw gnashing whilst he fumed. The red paste beneath him spread. Crushed remnants of bone, flesh, and fur could be spotted in the mix. He watched the vicious thing disappear.

Aei began to breathe more easily. The fate of the skittergang's leader lit a fire in her heart, one she had sorely missed. She steadied herself, mustering the courage to move her legs.

The giant sensed her ease. He stared. She shuffled forward slightly. Not that close to him, but closer. Aei's head reached his knee, the smaller rat species was barely larger than his foot-paw. The bloodied paw pulled back, revealing the tiger's handiwork: a mass of crimson; unrecognisable.

They shared a knowing look.

The stillness of the moment took them. Aei watched the titan's chest rise and fall, the excitement of his pounce visible in the exasperated gulps of air he drew.

Then: a rattling.

Something hit the floor. Clinking...and a dull thud...

Over at the stairs!

Their heads snapped to the source of the noise. The other rat, Eeter, had made his way back after filling his satchels with pieces of precious metal, just in time to view his master be crushed underfoot. Aei glanced back at the tiger. His predatory instincts took over.

Eeter turned to run, abandoning his loot. No time to warn Rakkus! No time...even if he could scream. His throat gagged as his body convulsed in panic, vomit welling up inside of him. But it was all too slow. The tiger moved quickly, sprinting 'cross the room and landing a kick on the rat. Eeter was flung through the air, before being dashed against the wall by the force of the giant's blow. The rat fell to the floor, crumpled in a heap. The great beast snarled. Aei's heart skipped a beat at the ferocious rumbling. She moved quickly, grabbing a tuft of fur on the tiger's ankle and pulling. The monster's attention was now hers.

"One left. Downstairs," she whispered loud enough to be heard, shock from the sudden violence muzzling her inner voice of reason. Her squirrel brain continued to warn her, implore her to flee. Every fibre of her being told her to get out of there, yet she'd done the exact opposite, even speaking to the predator.

Aei smiled. She just could not resist the carnage.

Waving at the titan, she beckoned him to descend to the basement with her...

* * *

Rakkus was pleased with his haul. The forge thrummed with the last ounce of fuel burning slowly. A multitude of furnaces surrounded him, the starving mouths of industry. One remained lit, it's bellows blasting air into its hellish depths, driven by a novel steam-pump. This was an advanced forge, whomever it belonged to had money to spent upgrading it. Rakkus thanked his lucky stars the skittergang had stumbled across this wondrous nest of ill-gotten gains. A rich smith meant abundant materials, the more expensive and valuable he could find, the better. And he'd found plenty.

He darted to the far side of the room, his thief's satchel skipping along the floor. Spotted nestled in the corner was a box. A small box -- very small, in fact. Enough for him the open it on his own. It was richly decorated, with fine carvings and letter-marks bearing the emblem of a local jeweller. Hang his flakes of gold and silver, this was the true prize!

Greedy mitts scratched the wooden surface, fiddling with the clamp and prying open the chest of treasure. The vibrant, sparkling image of gemstones was reflected in the thief's eyes. Deep sapphire blues and ruby reds shone from the container. Each was small enough the hold in his paw; decorations awaiting their place in some grand ornament.

Rakkus turned out his bag, spilling its contents. Room was needed, room to fit this bounty. Out came his chippings of ores, his wires and flakes of precious metal. Hauls like that were worth a lot, but even the criminal underworld of his tiny kin had higher expectations of their agents. Now he had something to brag about.

All thanks to that squirrel.

She'd been a lucky catch. A washer-maid seeking to steal from her employer. Oh it was a tale spun many a time, and Rakkus was no stranger to revenge plots. No siree, they made for the best escapades. Although he typically found himself with more blood on his hands.

Good fortune was not to be spurned!

The noise from the dying furnace, and the winds howling in the streets above, overwhelmed his sensitive ears. He cared not, for he had been blessed.

Good fortune...if only that were true...

The monster seized him.

Terror. Unmitigated terror.

Fear -- all-encompassing, all-consuming, all-conquering -- gripped him.

* * *

Aei hung back, halfway up the basement stairs. She held the cold bars of metal tightly, her heart racing. She was eager to see what_he_would do.

The rat's squeals and please for mercy were music to her ears. At long last, she could breathe a sigh of relief at the knowledge their brutish ways would soon be at an end. She leaned forward, holding herself at the edge of the abyss.

The tiger lifted Rakkus up, the final thief trapped firmly in his paw. His approach had been masked by the noisy environment, making his attack all the sweeter as the small rodent begged for his life, stammering and stuttering in fear of him. He felt good. Powerful.

Now what to do with this interloper?

He wandered the forge, thinking. Bringing the rat to the opening of one of his many furnaces left him joyously absorbing the feeling of his struggling prey growing more and more desperate, the realisation sinking in of his intentions. No...wait...there was a better way. Tossing him into the furnace would tarnish his products, staining them with the acrid blackness of burnt hair and flesh. No...why settle for a quick end?

All the while Rakkus' pleas fell on a deaf audience.

The tiger opened his maw, revealing a mass of sharp and bone-crushing teeth. Lowering the rat down, into the gaping cavern, he fought with the rodent's kicking legs, forcing them into his mouth.

The thief screamed as he bit down.

Rakkus' voice went hoarse. His expression terrified, tears streaming from his bloodshot eyes, frozen in pain and the shock of the moment. His legs disintegrated under the tiger's rolling rows of teeth, white-hot pokers of purest agony being driven into the fresh stumps. They bled profusely, the thick taste of iron splashing onto the tongue a welcome delight for the giant.

The monster continued, his mouth pulling Rakkus further in. Chewing and crunching on the sentient meal, blood dribbling from his lips -- a living nightmare, each second feeling like an eternity of torment. Up, up, and up he went, the tiger slurping all the while. His hips and abdomen were the next victims, the grinding jaws transforming his limp body into a mash of gristle, meat, and bone; swimming free in the giant's maw before being swallowed. He was weak. So very weak...the light was dying...blackness encroaches...his strength failed him. Unable to muster any sort of resistance Rakkus hung there inert, his dying body losing energy as his blood provided the marinate for his killer's meal. Where once there was pain, intense agony...now nothing could be felt. His nerves were shot through, useless. Life, however, was not quick to leave him. Nature's cruellest joke would yet be played: he would cling on to life, devoured from bottom-to-top, conscious 'til the very gruesome end.

The tiger consumed his prey with glee, teeth crushing the rat's ribs as he arrived at the upper torso. Wild hunger took him, moved him to feast with abandon -- the sensation of total control of the life and death of this lesser creature was comparable to a drug. Delirium. Orgasm. The delight he garnered from gorging on another thinking being was unmatched by anything his coin could purchase. His tongue slithered across his prey, tasting his fear, his fading spirits. The rat thief had lost consciousness, the last futile flailing of his arms unsuccessful in their attempt to fight off the jaws clamped around him. And now, nothing. No struggle. No screams. A near-dead rodent sliding deeper and deeper into his mouth, half the crunchy meal had already been swallowed.

Aei looked on, her own fear and wicked admiration mixing, swirling together. The squirrel could practically taste death in the air. She watched the tiger, watched_him_work. Watched _him_intently. She held her chest, innards feeling trapped inside her ribs, lungs bursting with each laboured breath, heart pumping, thumping with fervent urgency.

Rakkus at this point was little more than a morsel between the lips of the titan. The tiger gnashed, his spear-like fangs breaking through the skin of his prey, cracking his paper-thin skeleton, piercing his quivering organs. His jaws flung open as he flicked the bodily remains up into the air, then he snapped down sharply, filling his mouth with the rodent's corpse. The last thief to invade his property was no more. The moist flesh dissolved in his mouth, becoming a delicious pulverised snack. Sounds of cracking bones echoed through the tiger's skull, the prey's body breaking up into chunks of meat. He tossed and turned the cud for a few seconds, then he threw his large feline head back and made a tremendous gulp, finishing his live meal. Feral desires satisfied, he licked his lips. He'd enjoyed the hunt, no matter how brief.

Sated, the smith cast his eyes to the stairwell. He stared at the squirrel, mouth still dripping with pieces of raw flesh. She stared back, not a shred of fear in her pretty eyes. Longing...that was the feeling she was experiencing. He could see it. How brave, how remarkable of her to stomach the sights he'd presented. He turned and smiled, his grin made more macabre by the disembowelled remains of Rakkus the rat thief.

He placed his foot-paw firmly on the floor, tilted his body forward, and stepped closer.

Aei flinched.

...

It was the height of the event. Nerves were to be expected after all.

She saw him approach -- blood soaking his lips, mouth, neck, even parts of his chest and tunic. He joined her by the stairs. His great form standing near the step she'd chosen. Aei clutched the railing for support, panting under the intensity of the moment.

His head was level with her, and growing closer. She inched forward, tentatively extending her arm...

The warnings exploded in her thoughts. A crescendo of alarm. DANGER. DEATH. MONSTER. DEATH. FEAR. DANGER. PREDATOR. RUN. FLEE. DANGER. BLOOD. FEAR. RUN. HIDE. DEATH. MONSTER. THREAT. HORROR. BAD. FLEE. MONSTER. DANGER. PREDATOR. HUNT. FLEE. F--

Run!_Her instincts screamed at her. _Run while you can!

She stood her ground, even with the giant's jaws mere inches from her. Wasn't going to piss herself like some coward either. Her paw reached out, touching the fur at the furthermost tip of the massive predator's face.

She gasped. It always felt this way...after...

Past the point of no return, where any sane squirrel would have long fled, she kissed him on the nose. It was wet, and a strong stench of blood permeated the air. That didn't matter. The tiger accommodated this affection, pressing his nose against her fluffy chest.

Aei giggled. Then breathed a sigh of relief. Her instinctual terror was passing.

As the squirrel's shock melted away, the tiger turned to the forge, surveying the room. Aei brushed her fur, making sure no viscera had spoiled her soft coat, and tracked his ambling across the room. She waited on the stairs whilst he shut down the last working furnace. Silence crept back into the world, the room now absent the rumbling melody that had drowned out the tiger's footsteps. He swiftly slammed shut the furnace door, sealing it for a future busy day. Then, he returned to her.

Their eyes met again. Her gaze travelled down the path of blood to his tunic, the beige fabric tainted with the effluence of bloodshed. Oh, that'd need a good cleaning come the morrow.

"Messy?"

She laughed. He smiled.

Finally, the giant spoke...

"I better clean this up."

* * *

"Is safe, yes?"

"It is."

Aei crawled through the stone passageway into the storeroom of the smithy. Behind her a cohort of five loot-seeking rats, clad in dirty gutter-rags. Another group she'd encountered beneath the city, who accosted her as she walked the under-streets. Again a victim. It was a role well-rehearsed.

"Here," she called back to them, exiting the passage and wiping dust and muck from her clothes. She pointed them to the basement forge.

Resounding cheers for their imminent fortune echoed through the room as the eager skittergang rushed off on their final job. She watched them depart, flying down the steps with such treasure-lust. It brought delight to her, it did; the awareness of the coming doom.

The thrill of the hunt, a perversion of her kind's docile and timid nature.

She questioned it every now-and-then, but it felt too good. Just too...enthralling...

Gorgeous death...

They are so easy to fool!

They should know by now. Know not to trust the words of a lone washer-maid in the undercity. But their greed consumes them. Small wonder how the stories haven't spread yet...

The squirrel and the smith. And the grisly end awaiting those who steal from them.

...

Her husband has no love for thieves.