Water in Eden

This was getting utterly ridiculous. Nobody here cared at all? Really? They were all just going to let this happen, essentially killing themselves off. I would never be able to understand this. I mean, come on! This town was in the middle of the desert; there was no other water for miles around, that is, besides the heart spring. The heart spring is a beautiful oasis which is, well was, fueled by some magical glowing crystal that gives their isolated tropical osis life. A glowing crystal that was unfortunately and mysteriously missing. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I know where it went. I am just about the only one who knows where it went. I was contracted by Duke Chernobog to steal it. He and his organization had been trying to get their hands on it for years but seeing as it is in the middle of town and constantly being guarded, it was a little difficult to steal. That’s where I came in. I just so happen to be a master thief, and yes I know how cocky that sounds, but I’m not going to lie to you and it is the truth. Now where I acquired my particular set of skills isn’t important right now and it’s a very long story, however, I will say that it involved a family of spice merchants and a secret organization of magical doppelgangers. You want to know more don’t you? Well too bad, it wouldn’t do if everyone knew all my secrets.

    Now I know what you are thinking. Velkaria, why would you steal a magical object that gives life to an entire town? A beautiful town at that. Well, I’ll tell you. I don’t care. These people are nothing, oh and Duke Chernobog offered me a lot of money, and I mean a LOT of money. Also, this town is not my cup of bandrek. Don’t get me wrong, Eden is a beautiful settlement, absolutely breathtaking really. So full of every good thing nature has to offer, but the people who live here? Horrid. I just don’t like the whole bowing and scraping and crossing the street to get away from anything they aren’t familiar with. Anything like me. I know that having demon heritage isn’t exactly common in these parts but it’s not like I did anything to them! Well, at least at one point I hadn’t done anything to them. I guess now it might be justified, that is, if they had any inkling that I was the root cause of their current dilemma. Which is another problem I have with these people. They are on a course of certain destruction; their water is running out after all and not one of them has the courage to do anything about it. Or to even accuse me of anything. I have been staying here for a while now, and I just happened to roll into town right when their magical crystal thingy disappeared. Now I'm just lounging about helping them drink the last of their water but not one of them has the courage to make an accusation. Pathetic. 

    Why am I still here you ask? Well, I unfortunately am a very difficult woman to track down, and I need Duke Chernobog to be able to find me because, as it would happen, he has yet to pay me. What a dirtball. He probably thinks I’m too cowardly to do anything about it, Hecate knows I would be if I had been raised in this milksop infested town. Luckily I wasn’t, and the duke had exactly seven more hours before I would come calling. But for a little while, I would wait, and while I did, I would enjoy a refreshing glass of water, who knew when I might get another. Time passed and I decided that I needed to rest while I could. I walked over to a hammock that was hanging between two fig trees. To tell you the truth I probably should have been more suspicious of it then I was. Having the water dry up was killing many of the plants and so there was a good chance that that hammock wouldn’t have been able to support my weight. I was tired though and it was very hot, so I plopped myself down and luck was with me so the hammock held. I drifted off to sleep thinking of the heavy pouce of gold I would wake up to. 

But when I woke up, there was no scent of worn leather, no clink of coins, nothing, the treacherous Duke had betrayed me. Time was up, and I was ready to collect. I set on my way, scowling, as I see a gangle of children watching me from the shadows. In my hometown, those kids would be chasing any stranger they saw and peppering them with questions, not just watching them from the shadows. 

The journey to Duke Chernobog's camp was not a particularly short one. It could have been much easier if I could have stolen a horse, not much in the terms of livestock have made it. Most have mysteriously disappeared as water rations became thinner around Eden. Nobody wanted to waste water on non essential animals, and so many had been set free in the wild to fend for themselves. If it had been me, I would have given the animals a kinder death, a quick slice across their carotid artery and then nothing. This would have been kinder than the excruciatingly slow one the poor creatures had to endure when their masters  released into the desert, but that's not the way of these towns folk I suppose. Because of this almost town wide massacre of animals, there was a startling lack of horses around to be stolen, and having one would likely attract too much attention anyway. Definitely not what I wanted right now. This journey would have to be made on foot. 

Outside the town limits is nothing but sand. Or at least that's what it looked like. Miles and miles of flat sand. However, this was very deceiving. The landscape was actually riddled with vast valleys and sharp drops disguised by the gentle slopes of sand dunes. I knew very well that if a blind man, or for that matter a particularly drunk man, were to wander out here on their own it would be almost inevitable that they would walk off the edge of a dune and plummet to their death. These hidden edges did make for fantastic hiding places not only for a rogue like myself but also for any bumbling band of bandits. That’s where the duke and his company would be. Reveling in their recent victory, all the work done by yours truly of course. Almost within earshot of those sniveling towns folk who were too afraid to wander into the barren wastelands that surrounded them even for the chance at recovering their salvation. They could have done it too, if the town had banded together and stormed the desert looking for their precious fresh water crystal. They could have easily overpowered the duke and his hand of men. Six thugs, no matter how skilled, would not be able to overpower a town of hundreds. Even if those six thugs were half-orcs and the town was full of humans. Not that it really mattered to me, humans and half-orcs are both flawed inferior races. 

I came upon their camp just as night fell. Good timing on my part if I do say so myself, and what should I find but six half-orcs celebrating themselves right to the bottom of their tankards. Like I said, a flawed race. Why would these half-orcs— who really should have been running away as fast as they could with their prize if they hadn’t intended to pay me—be sitting here dulling their faculties, making it so easy for me to take my revenge. Half-orcs cannot handle their liquor. All I had to do was wait. Another hour and it would be like taking gold from a gnome. 

    I watched as each one fell deeper and deeper into a drunken stupor. Then I simply walked in and took what I wanted. Now, I could have been nice and just took the coin they owed me, but honestly, I was really annoyed that they had made me wait around here for days and had intended to stiff me. Instead, I took every single gold coin they had, I left the silver and copper because I’m not totally heartless, and because honestly that small amount of money isn’t worth my attention. Oh and I nabbed one more thing, that obnoxious glowing orb. Just as silently as I had arrived I was gone, but now I was stuck with this magic crystal that was of no use to me and honestly it was pretty heavy. I took it because I didn’t want those unhonorable pigs to profit off of my work after they had tried to cheat me out of my payment. So I did the only thing I could think to do. I snuck into Eden and I put that cursed rock back in place. Guess things really do work out for cowards. That sucks. At least I got some gold out of this wretched ordeal. Hopefully I never have to come back here.