12 The City of Thieves

After realizing that the interceptors were friendly, Emma felt relieved by the end of the violent tension that was in the air. Being able to look better at her savior without the hood, she noticed that he should be in his 40s, older than Alay's father. His messy brown hair had already begun to turn gray, just like his badly shaved beard. His black eyes together with his smile blended into an expression that mixed joy and weariness because of the recent battle he had won.

- So, how are you? - he asked, looking at Emma, Alex, and Athert

- Ignoring the fact that we could have died in this crazy attack and that my friend has one of her legs broken, yeah, I think we're fine - Emma answered, crossing her arms and carrying a serious expression - But I can't complain, you saved us from going to jail.

- Do you talk like that to everyone you've just met? - he inquired, putting his sword over his shoulder.

- Actually, no. - Suddenly, she felt as if something was slipping out of her body

- Did you mean yes, didn't you? - replied Âme, who had manifested herself in front of everyone.

- Ame?! What are you doing? I thought it was to keep you as a secret!

- Sometimes I doubt we have our minds connected. I never said anything about not showing myself to others, pay some attention - totally ignoring the girl's frustration, Âme approached the brown-haired man, who remained unbelieving that there was a talking fox there.

"At least I know I'm not the only one who finds that completely strange." Emma thought.

"And don't think your thoughts are out of my reach, idiot." Âme responded to the thought with her echoing voice inside the girl's head, who, realizing her complete lack of privacy, made an angry face and shut up.

- Sorry for her rudeness, it's hard to believe that we share the same mind, but somebody has to be responsible here, right? - spoke, looking quickly at Emma and turning again to the man.

The man looked one way and then the other, scratching his head and throwing a curious smile.

- Anyone else is seeing the talking fox? - he asked, being answered by all the hooded people with a nod of their heads.

- Hey! Is it really that surreal?!

- Yeah, well, I guess somebody should be the responsible one here, right? - Emma spoke, taking her place in front of the animal, who found herself in the same situation where she had left the girl a few minutes before.

"I´m about to punch your face..."

"You can try, but I think that you can´t with that little paws"

Even growling with rage, the fox controlled herself and looked at Emma, approaching her.

- I have to tell you something really important, call me after finishing this. - spoke, soon after entering Emma's body again.

With the situation normalized, Emma left close to the cliff and went towards Athert and Alex, staying ahead of them.

- So, who are you? Why did you help us?

- Before I answer, I'd like to know something, young lady. Do you know Hermes? - questioned the man, taking some steps in the direction of all three.

- Hermes? The Greek God?

- Yes. Hermes is the god of wealth, luck and many other things. But an interesting fact about him is that he is also said to be the God of thieves. - With a snap of fingers, all the hooded people revealed a coat of arms on one of their gloves. The symbol consisted of a triangle surrounded by a circle with an eye in its center. - We are criminals from Hermes, the City of Thieves. Gilbert Leon, but the people call me Gileon.

- Emma Adams, I´m a mercenary

- Alexandra Magni, I used to work as a blacksmith, but now I'm just traveling with Emma.

- Athert Wolf, now that you've killed my entire unit... I'm an ex-priest of the Imperial Order of Civil Defense.

- Hoho! We have a renegade here! That makes you a criminal just like us.

- I'd rather live like a criminal than die like a soldier. Screw the path of honor.

- Good, you have potential, boy! But we wouldn't kill you, we wouldn't kill other players, just NPCs since they are part of the system itself and in a few hours, they will be reborn in the last place they slept.

- You still haven't said why you saved us from prison. We have nothing to give in return if that's what you thought.

- Ah, that's not it - he declared, laughing - our job is to prevent people like you from ending up in prison. It's not like we expect a reward for it. But we are not denying any donation, they are more than welcome!

- In the end, they're still bad guys, I don't know why I expected anything else. - Emma laughed, taking a few steps back to help Alex get up. - Well, thanks for the help, we'll figure out what to do and...

-Wait a minute! Now, as criminals, you should go to Hermes with us. Going back to where you are is practically ask to be arrested again

- Can we?

- If he's calling us, I think it's because we can, stupid. - Athert spoke, staring at Emma.

- Open your mouth to talk to me like that and you'll see what I´m capable of. - the girl answered, looking at the boy with a hateful look.

Alex, who was in the middle of the two, laughed at the situation, despite the climate that was established.

- Guys, I know that you aren´t the best friends, but can you just leave it at that? I'm not in the mood to fall now, you know? - Alex spoke, pulling them both back, undoing the tension.

- Anyway, how are we gonna get there? - Athert questioned, leaving the fight to one side.

- How? You got those horses that just came off the wagons. - Gileon said, pointing to the animals that had finally calmed down and were standing in front of the obstructed path.

- Even if we all knew how to ride, the path is still blocked.

- Don't give up already! Stafford! - of the hooded group behind the man, a person carrying a staff appeared, standing out from the others. - Do your job, boy.

- Yes, sir!

With the order given, the boy made his way among the bandits and stood in front of the rocks, pointing his staff in their direction.

Suddenly, the staff began to shine brightly, surrounded by a green aura that also covered the boy. From the artifact, green chains extended to his arm, chaining him and connecting him to the staff. The boy's robes swayed, as if under the influence of a powerful wind current.

- Arcane Technique: Whirlwind! - said the boy, shooting a projectile into the rocks which, as it came out of the staff, exploded into a powerful wind current.

When the spell hit the boulders, they were all thrown violently to the side by a whirlwind of air, falling into the abyss towards the river.

Emma, who had perceived only slight traces of magic in that world, was surprised to see the power of that young magician. The horses didn't shake much, and soon they were brought to them.

- There are four horses available, those who cannot walk will be accompanied by someone from my unit, already the fourth horse is for me, I want to make sure everything goes well on the way to Hermes.

Without waiting, Athert climbed up on one of the horses alone, which made it seem that he knew how to ride one.

Meanwhile, Emma helped Alex arrive at one of the animals, where one person was waiting to help her. With her friend on the horse, Emma went to her own, where someone was also waiting for her. After climbing up the hill, Gileon organized a formation while talking to the other members of his team, who soon climbed up the hill again and disappeared among the trees.

- All right, people, let´s go! - Gileon ordered it, going off with his mount, being followed by the others.

The feeling of riding a horse was something new she was experiencing, and it was something good. The surrounding nature further increased the feeling of freedom that came with the gentle breeze of the forest.

"Emma"

"Âme? So, you showed up. Say, what did you want to talk about that hour?"

"The Heron... she is alive!"

"How?! How do you know?"

"I´ve felt an energy pulse coming from the forest, and now my senses are a little confused, but I can feel it! She awakened her AI! But... that's different, it seems much more connected to her than usual. It's like she's really just become one with AI."

"Is that even possible?"

If it happened, it's totally possible, but it shouldn't be something that happens easily. A number of factors must have influenced this to happen. For now, we can only wait.

⥏☉☉✡☉☉⥑

The boy was jumping through the woods, cheerful and happy. Behind him, Esther, who was still a little stunned, was accompanying the boy, holding his hand. Her mind was still a bit cloudy and her memories messed up, adapting to her new reality. Her only certainty was her name, which was marked in her brain.

- So, lady, I'm gonna ask you one more time: do you know how you ended up in the river? - the boy asked, trying to refresh her mind.

- I don't know... I just remember I hit my head and everything went dark. And... what's your name again?

- Lucas, Lucas Stafford! Well, I'm gonna take you to the town near here, my brother left on a mission, so I have to get back before he realizes I'm not there. - He spoke, smiling at the woman, who could feel the purity in that boy's heart, making her smile involuntarily.

- You have a family here then? That's... that's good. I never had one.

- It's not a family, it's just me and my brother. We live the way we can. And about you, if you want we can adopt you!

Esther laughed and was happy with the goodness of the boy. But deep down, something made her believe that it would never work.

- You don't have to do this for me, you just met me. And also... I don't think you'd want me around. I don't know how to do a lot of things, and I don't know how to help either.

- And what's wrong with that?

Maybe it was the boy's purity that made him not understand what she meant, but still what he said made her feel better, more comfortable. She smiled, feeling her heart most cheerful.

- Yeah... what's wrong with that...

A few minutes later, Esther was finally able to see the city walls that the boy was talking about so much on the way. Rising in the middle of the forest, the white walls stood out in the tropical landscape, with some signs of union with nature. It didn't take long for them to face the city entrance. Even on the outside, Esther could hear the restlessness of the people inside, and see with what little vision she had left.

- Here we are! This is Hermes, the town I live in! - He said, running inside the walls, catching the woman unprepared, who could barely follow the boy.

On the inside, the Heron noticed that the city streets were even busier. Full of people walking, talking and doing various other things. The architectural style of the city was also interesting, adopting something like a medieval Gothic style.

Being guided by Lucas, they stopped in front of a tent with several products for sale, from jewelry and porcelain to weapons. Inside, a middle-aged man with a big beard and a cheerful smile faced the boy.

- Uncle Thomas, good afternoon! - Lucas said, approaching the counter that separated the customers from the man.

- Lucas! Good to see you again, boy! - replied the old man, getting up and going to the boy. - What brings you here today? And who's your friend there?

- I'm Esther Eisen, it's a pleasure. - she spoke, giving the best smile she could.

- I found her in the woods and brought her here! Me and my bro will take care of her until she recovers her memories - As she spoke, Lucas heard the sound of horses approaching the city, even with the turmoil of its daily life. Turning with curiosity, he spotted his brother riding on one of them and ran towards it, which caught Esther's attention.

However, as soon as she turned to look at the boy, she saw someone coming on one of the horses, accompanying the rest of the group where Lucas' brother was. Even with the fragmented memory, once she saw the girl's face and her body, she knew at the time who she was. The long black hair flying with the wind, the blue eyes like sapphires and the determined look she carried on her face, left no doubt.

"Emma... Emma Adams... Fox!"

Suddenly a wave of fiery anger took hold of her being, and she could feel her body warming up more and more. Her left arm was even hotter as if fire burned beneath his skin. Unwittingly, she pointed her arm in the direction of Emma, who had stopped. The member had his veins bulging, all shining in a strong orange shade. All the heat that was inside it began to be projected out of it, gradually creating and carrying a spear of fire.

At the height of her rage, she thought of firing the magic. But before she could execute the attack, she realized what she was doing and pointed her hand to the sky, throwing the lance of fire away. There, in the artificial blue immensity, the spear exploded into a flame wave, quickly disappearing after reaching its area limit.

The Crane looked at her arm, which was gradually returning to normal. The heat passed, and everything returned to normal in a few moments. Meanwhile, she could feel a power she had never experienced before. Her soul, which had become cold and peaceful after coming together, now burned with a single feeling that she could not understand why she felt, but knew that she was there. She was afraid and did not want to feel the anger she felt, but it was something that not even she could control. In her mind, a new goal was recorded:

Revenge.